A secret past
by MeekshVA
Summary: A different look on the VA world: Vienna Markson has a secret family name that can bring the entire Moroi world to pieces. Can she find her families secrets? And what of her unknown powers? Can she really control the darkness that plagues the Moroi world?
1. Chapter 1

Vampire Academy Fanfiction

Prologue

Approx; 186 AD

"My dearest daughter, If you are reading this, it means that you have found our family history and the also the price of damage it causes. It also means you know that the people you thought to be your parents, are not. For that I am sorry, I had no choice but you send you away to a family who can live out their lives long enough to raise you to the bright young woman I know you will be, as I cannot give you the life you need. Our family is one of many origins my dear, we are the Nesahlas. But between the greed of the royal families and the anguish our name has brought to us, I am saddened to say you never wear our family name. Through the years our family has had powers not many can quiet fathom, as the first name to bring out the element spirit and use our blood to forge the darkness that will soon plague our world, the king wants our line extinguished. You must not share this secret with anyone, and keep your new family name as it will bring you safety and your family for many years to come. By the time you may have found this, we will be gone, but my dear, dear daughter, do not worry or cry for us, for we are here.."

"Louella, we must hurry!

"..love always, your mother, Louella Nesalha"

"Louella, please!"

The shouting and the crashing and the plumes of smoke rose up around me.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I shouted.

Though the Kings army was here to kill us, I took slight comfort in knowing my last moments would be spent with my love.

"I must finish this. I need to seal the book."

I heard another panicked scream and knew our time was almost up. I rushed quickly to the desk where my families book sat, it had to be sealed.

"_Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum" _as I whispered the worlds I felt the book seal itself. It wasn't a simple spell. No one through other family lines or with any other power, will be able to open this book, unless a true Nesahla, counteracts the spell.

Shoving the book into the grey metal safe, I rushed over to my husband.

"Name, it is done. Our family will know. I love you." I said my last words right before the guardians came crashing in. All impeccably dressed with small red dots on the collars of the men and woman, carrying a startling array of weaponry, but inside their coats, they pulled out the silver stakes.

Chapter 1.

"Vienna Markson, booth 4 please"

Oh great, it's Alice! She is probably the only feeder I actually enjoy seeing, since she's kinda nuts. Feeders are a everyday thing for me. I'm a Moroi, a living vampire with elemental magic, which isn't that strong might I say, and the human are our feeders, needed to give blood to my race for us to survive, we don't drain, just a little sip. Today had been a commotion, running late this morning and had to skip a shower so I smell fantastic, spilt water on my schoolwork, and now the feeding room is full and I'm about to miss the rest of lunch in the cafeteria. Great. Just another day at St, vlads. After I'm done with Alice, I rush up to the cafeteria to sit with my only friend, Max, only to find he isn't here. Lining up to get what's left of the food I scan the room for him when the voice I know and love comes up behind me.

"Hey Ve, missed lunch too?" And here he is. All brown dough eyes, small smile and ruffled hair.

"Well I can see I'm not the only one," I laugh "what happened to you?" Looking more closely now I can see a slight red tinge to his face and his chest rising and falling abit faster.

"Had to do something for Mr Nagy and apparently I didn't do it right the first two times." The sarcasm in his voice makes me laugh. Honestly his second language may as well be sarcasm. No one can ever take him seriously, I don't even know if he's serious half the time. He's shorter then most so it's no surprise people can't take him seriously. His head stops slightly above mine. His build to match his height, he's not a very strong person considering I have to help him with heavier boxes. Only pale, as Moroi are. He's quiet normal really.

All of a sudden there's a commotion at the door and in walks to guardians, one with short hair and green eyes wearing the same black uniform they all do, the second fairly tall with long brown hair that sits just above his shoulders and dark, dark brown eyes they could be black. Pretty sure he is the new foreign guardian they brought in a while ago. Heard he was on some special assignment here but no one knows who. Then walk in the next people and who should it be but Rose Hathaway and Princess Lissa Dragomir. Well now it makes sense why everyone bailed on there food and stared at the door and the girls. Rose gave a lopsided smile, Lissa walked behind her looking frigid, and then they passed on through to the office. There was a slight pause before the room erupted into hushed conversations.

"Well I guess there goes the morning news, I wonder why they left? And how they got caught. And what they did for the last 2 years. You know, I heard the officials saying they were going to give the princess 5 guards as well as guardian Belikov. And that the queen is furious her pet blonde left school, oh and Kirova.." I zoned out at this point. Max's ramblings were horrific, he could go on for hours and if I wasn't his friend, I'd throw a brick as his face just to shut him up. So that's who the foreign guardian is. Dimitri Belikov, only one of the best guardians out there and he was recruited as the princesses protection once they found her. Wouldn't surprise me if they put an extra five guardians on her, and maybe Hathaway. I don't even get Royals, all this fuss for two girls, I mean I know why they went total code red on Dragomir and all, but Hathaway, really. The way they talk about her around here they make it sound like she's the next best thing to the queen.

Sitting in class was a total bore. I really don't see the point of a history class considering the history pretty much walks around the school and is is statues. In our society there are 12 royal families, a king and/or a queen, the 'non royal' common families, and the Dhampirs. I explained the Moroi, living vampires and what not, but the Dhampirs are different, a mixture of both, born from a Moroi and Dhampir mixing. They don't need blood to survive, but have a better build, stamina, and senses then a human. Dhampirs don't have powers either, in the Moroi world we have 4 elements for magic, earth, air, fire and water. I'm an air user, though not a very good one. Looking around the classroom to make sure no one is watching, I pull a slight breeze through my hair and sigh.

"And with the war, came destruction, multiple houses and cities had fallen but the most intriguing part of the war, was a book." A book, really? Couldn't there be something more interesting like, I don't no, a snake with feet, or a magic mirror? "But the book could not be opened, though something had sealed it so it was near impossible to open, many tried, the book now sits in the courts library for those of you that can try and be worlds strongest man to open it. Now after the war.."

A book that couldn't be opened? Well I suppose that's interesting. Sort of. I looked to max to see him furiously drawing and then to look up and wink at me. He is such an idiot. Though he is my only friend so I suppose I shouldn't say much. We had been more then friends once, he was my boyfriend a year and a half ago but it just didn't work. How he found interest in me I'll never know. I'm short, with blackish brown hair with hazel eyes, though they are more blue if you ask me. Max always said the cute thing about me was my pouty bottom lip and my dimples. I hated my dimples. Considering I'm pale I suppose I don't look that bad. Going through my flaws is easy but today is hard, I can't get that sealed book out of my head.

As I'm walking to my room, through all the puddles and dried leaves, I feel this weird flitting in my head and can feel a hum.

"Max, can you hear that?"

"Hm?" He stops walking and turns on his heal to look at me.

"The hum, can you not hear that?" I ask. Honestly how can he not, it's like 14 swarms of bees in my ears.

"Nope" he turns again and keeps walking. "Come on Ve I need to get to the feeders"

Casting a look around again I turn to keep walking. What in the hell is that? And what is this flitting thing in my head. I hope the feeders provide a distraction, even though I'm not feeding.

We walk into the feeders and there is another line up. God, why can't people just get their blood earlier? Max's name is called and he goes to his booth while I tell him I'll be outside. I need fresh air. As I walk out the door something hits me so hard, I can feel it reverberate through my whole body. A bright light flashes and suddenly images are pouring into my head. I don't no what they are, it's all blurry and it's giving me the worst head ache. All I can see are little snippets of something. There's a red pool around something yellow and an animal of some sort, I can hear someone crying but I can't make it out before another Image comes through. Red eyes, jail bars. And then something else. Fires, smoke, what I think are guardians and a book. It's just a plain book, brown and slightly worn around the edges. There isn't a title so I don't no what it is, and I can't see the pages either, it just looks like it in a brown box but I know it's a book. There's screaming and all of a sudden it's gone, all the images are gone, the sounds, the smells, everything. Just now Max walks out and I have to sit down. What in the world was that?

"Hey are you alright?" Max leans down to me, concern written all over his face.

"Yeah, um, I just think I need a drink." I stagger to stand up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

The next few days pass uneventfully. Just the same stuff, school, feeders, sleep then repeat. I mean I guess you could say that Princess Dragomir and Hathaway are the interesting topics, not that I really care. Ever since my episode outside the feeders room with my, what would you call it, visions? I guess, I can't get that history lesson out of my head, you know, the one with the war, the Strigoi, the destroyed houses and that book.

I feel like the book I saw has something to do with it but I have no idea what. I can't make sense of the visions either, there's no record of any sort of power like that for an air user, at least not one I know of. Maybe it was just a onetime thing, I hardly think it will happen again. As I'm walking through the quad to the library I notice max scouring through the ground like a bird looking for worms.  
>"Max, what in the world are you doing?" As I ask I notice dried mud on his trousers and fresh mud on his hands and knees, looks like he has been here a while.<br>"I'm looking for my ring, I was walking to the cafeteria and I lost it here and now I can't find it, please can you help me, if my parents find out, they will kill me" The look on his face was the only thing that actually made me want to look. He looked so desperate. With a sigh I knelt down beside him.  
>"God, could you pick a better place to lose it?" Kneeling down I can feel the mud seep through my jeans. Pushing and pulling the mud through my hands, I can't feel anything.<br>"Are you sure you lost it here? You have obviously been looking here for a while and can't find anything?" I ask with a sigh. This is so not what I want to be doing right now. I just wanted to go to the library.  
>"Yes it is," An exasperated note in his voice, "I was walking and I felt it…Oh I found it!" he holds his hand up like he's just won a trip to the Mediterranean.<br>"Great, now I'm all muddy." I sigh and stand up trying to shake the mud off my hands. The jeans I wear are no longer grey, they are brown. Fantastic. "Ok well I'm going to go back and get changed, can I meet you at the library?" I ask.  
>"Yeah, sure" He says as he turns his back to go to his dorm room.<p>

On my way back to the library the second time, I spot Lissa Dragomir walking with Natalie Dashkov, and once again, I'm bombarded with visions. Red eyes, again, more jail bars, an animal, I think it is, laying on a red bed sheet, someone is in hysterics, I try and concentrate to see who but I can't, then all of a sudden, I can't breathe, like all my air has just been taken away, I claw at my throat trying to somehow find relief and then my visions change, I'm in a dark room that looks like it has been burnt out but the only thing left is a grey metal safe that has dents in the side of it, like someone has tried to forcefully open it. Looking around the house again, I notice the walls left standing are slightly green and decaying, what I think was left of the carpet is pretty much non-existent. There is two large stone pillars beside what might be a door to another room but the door is no longer there, only the hinges. It looks like this house had been abandoned for years. Walking over to the safe again, a plume of ash rises up in front of me and looking down at my ash covered boots, there's a piece of paper, perfectly white, intact, with no indication of burn marks I bend down to pick it up, hesitating only a little before I do, and when I touch it something makes my body freeze. Words rush through my head in a language I can't understand. It might be Latin. Whispers arise in my head and I look around to try and find the source. Five words are continually being repeated but I don't understand, "_Occulta et ipse…vivet vinctum. Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum, Occulta et ipse…"  
>With another flash I find myself standing back in the quad looking at Dragomir right before she walks through a door. It felt like the vision went for hours but I can tell it's only been seconds. <em> I stand frozen, rooted to my spot and cast a glance at my hands. They are balled together and so stiff that my knuckles have turned white. With a deep breath I try to calm my racing heart. It's happened again. But it's different this time, I heard a voice. Was this directed at me? It was only 5 words but they are fleeting. Occulta…something. Well, this is interesting. This is the second time it's happened and I don't know why. Looking to see if anyone saw me, I turn back around towards the classrooms to find my magic teacher, Ms. Carmack.

Of course now that I needed to get somewhere fast, everyone had decided to walk like they were 90. I had to push past multiple people, hearing grunts, and other words I won't disclose, on the way there. It was only when I knocked on the door to Ms Carmack's classroom that I decided to take a breath. The look on my teachers face was the only indication that she was surprised as I was to be here.  
>"Vienna, how are you? Can I help you with anything?"<br>"I'm sorry to bother you, I just have some questions about air users, if that's ok"  
>"Of course, what do you want to ask? Have you mastered any skills yet?" of course she knows how lacking my powers are.<br>"Uh, yes, um, have you heard of any reports of air users having, like, visions? or something like that. I've heard people say that air users can get them and a friend of mine read it in a book that said air users can have visions about people, and places." Obviously I was making this up, I haven't even told Max about my visions.  
>"Through my knowledge no. Of course there are certain people, say, psychics, who say they have special intuitions through voices in their head, most often just go through tarot cards and the alike. Why such the interest?" her voice is slightly edged with curiosity.<br>"Oh, just a project, I have a fascination. Anyway, thank you for the information!" I rush out the door hoping to avoid any more curios questions.  
>So the voices, I guess that is sort of safe purgatory, but my visions are through my magic, so where the hell do they come from?<p>

"Hey stranger, I waited for you at the library, where were you?" I turn to see max jogging up to me. Crap, I forgot about the library. Honestly with all this stuff going through my head I forgot he even existed.  
>"Oh, I'm sorry max, I forgot I had to go see Ms Carmack about an assignment and I totally forgot, I'm sorry."<br>"Its ok, do you want to go there now, or…?" I glanced around, without even realising it I was walking towards to feeders.  
>"Sure, but can we go to the feeders first I haven't had mine today." With a quick nod he stepped beside me with a cheery look on his face like he didn't have a care in the world. If only he knew what was going on in my head.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

On our way to the library I couldn't stop thinking what Carmack said. No Air users, or any magic users for that matter, have visions. Only the paid psychic people have voice in there head telling them about the future or whatever it is they do, but even humans do that sort of thing. Max knew me too well, he must have picked up that something was wrong because I am so quiet.

"What's wrong?" he asks quietly.  
>"Hm? Oh nothing, just tired." That's the excuse I always use.<br>"Bull, I know you, you're never this quiet, what's wrong? Are you stressing about this family tree project we have to do for history?" God dammit, I forgot about that. Thanks max, I mentally glare at him.

"No, I haven't even started." My family tree probably won't go past my parents since I don't know much about the grandparents or anything. I guess I should ask my parents about that.  
>"Well we will see what we can find while were at the library then yeah?" he's inquisitive today.<br>"Yeah sure." Just then we walk through the library doors and head over the table we always sit at right at the start of the bookshelf on magic specialisation. How ironic. We start to go through moroi history hoping to find my family name in there somewhere.  
>Which it probably won't considering these books are only filled with the royal's history. There's a lot on St Vladimir, the schools namesake, I wonder if he had visions, it says he never specialised but I wonder if the intuition's he had were because of visions. It goes all the way back to a king named Naakve. It goes through the wars for the past 100 years. I gather these have all been rewritten over time and translated. My eyes are drawn to a certain paragraph. It's about a book. Is this the book we were talking about in history?<p>

It says that the book was found in an ancient war with the strigoi, and it has never been opened, that it is sealed with some sort of magic. I wonder if it's some sort of air magic that compresses the book so it stays shut. Why would someone never want a book opened? The book now resides in the courts library for public viewing.  
>"I wonder if I can see it." Without even realising it, I've said that out loud.<br>"What? Oh the book? Well you're going to court in a few weeks aren't you? You can look at it then I suppose. Didn't know you were interested in it." He shrugs off the comments.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that trip. It will be good to see my mother though." My mother, Paige, works at the courts as an accountant for some Conta royals, and she is only getting a week holiday in 3 weeks, so dad said that we can go see her even though it means I have to miss a few days school. I guess I can look at it then.

Sitting back in my dorm room, I turn on the computer and start doing some research for the family tree assignment. Using a site that our teacher suggested I type in 'Markson' and see what comes up. It's hardly a surprise that it isn't much. It goes back a few generations so I have some material to go on. Jesus, some of these people had up to 8 kids. Wow. I'm glad I'm an only child. My mother always wanted more children but dad wouldn't let her.

Zoning out halfway through my research, I start thinking about the trip to court. I've never been to court, not that I'd like to, with all the stuck up royals thinking they are better then everyone. I don't even get why they have a royal system in place, what makes a last name more important. Did they create lands or something? I don't get it. I guess its life though. Thinking about creating things I think about strigoi. Who made them? How did they start? Would made sense if it started from a greedy royal draining a feeder. I have no idea.

Absentmindedly, I realised I've typed something in the search bar. Nesahla. What the hell? Who is Nesahla? I just stare at it blankly for a while. How did I do that? I lean back in my computer chair and bring my hand to the side of my face and rest it there. I've never even heard of this name. Staring at it for abit, I decide to just press enter to see what happens. I'm surprised when only one article comes up.

'_Nesahla family killed and home destroyed by strigoi attack._

_The last two members of the common Nesahla family, have been brutally killed in a random strigoi attack. Their home was burnt to the ground and looted by common people not long after the family disappeared. Although nothing is found in their home, all that remains are the pillars that stand in front of the family's library. Although they may not be royals, it is devastating that a family name has been wiped out by the darkness that plagues this world.'_

I read the article 4 times. Nothing is really significant to me, I don't understand how or why I typed it. Clicking out of the programme, I shuffle over to my bed and pull back the covers, but I realise I needed to brush my hair. Standing in the mirror I stare at myself. My hair is a mess from the wind outside, all tangled in black snarls and knotted. I take my brush and try to attack my hair. This is going to take a while. Hazel blue eyes stare back at me and I can't help but think that neither of my parents have hazel eyes. My father has brown and my mother has blue. I must have just come out weird. Still brushing my hair, I can't get the name Nesahla out of my head. The name is ancient and no longer exists but still, I can't stop thinking about it.

Thinking about family, I realise I might be able to do a bit more extensive research on mine at the library at the court. I'm sure they have better programmes and more informative books on families that aren't royals. Sighing, I give up on my hair, tie it in a bun, and shrug back to bed. Laying there, I just think about the sealed book. It's definitely a mystery.

The news the next morning is going wild, Princess Dragomir had a dead fox on here bed. Well I'm sure if we had a newspaper going through the school this would be front page. Apparently she got back to her room yesterday after school and found the fox lying in a pool of its blood on her bed, people are saying she was in hysterics. Trudging to class, I bump into Max.

"Whoa, hey, watch where your…oh hey, it's you, sorry I thought you were someone else. Oh my god, did you hear the news about Dragomir this morning? How horrible, I mean who the hell would do something as disgusting as that? It's kind of weird considering she has only just got back from a two year holiday and it seems someone already has a vendetta against her. Could always be Hathaway who done it. Maybe they are looking for…" and off he goes. I give an exasperated sigh and keep walking to class. It's ironic because both Hathaway and Dragomir are in my class this morning. This should be interesting.

Max and I walk in and sit at our table, everyone is staring at Lissa and talking in hushed whispers, and it's not half obvious what they are all talking about. Lissa is sitting with her head in her hands and Hathaway looks like she could murder someone. Wouldn't surprise me if she did really if you look at her reputation. I'm also guessing the higher powers up there are playing the funny cards too, because we are in an animal behaviour class. The whole time in class, the whispers don't stop, neither to do the side glances toward the princess. Looking at her again, I keep thinking of a part of my vision, with the fluffy animal looking thing and a red bed sheet and someone crying. Odd. Because I'm not paying attention I hardly notice when a girl, Mia, I think her name is, asks a question. There is a collective intake of breaths.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur and once I'm back in my dorm room, I collapse on my bed and just lay there for abit. Without realising it, I've fallen asleep and something has woken me but I don't know what. Rubbing my eyes I walk over to the computer sitting in the middle of the white wood desk sitting in the corner of my room and find an email, so it was the little ping of my email that woke me up. It's from my dad.

'_Vienna, I'm sorry for the lack of communication' _Yeah, I'm sure you are. _'I'm just sending you this to confirm the details of your visit to court to see your mother.' _I hardly pay attention to what the rest of it says. This is the first email he has sent me in months. Mum trees to send some when she can without interrupting work but dad just stays off the grid and ignores the world.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

It was the weekend. Finally. Time to relax. Until Max arrived at my door.  
>"Hey, hey, hey!" He practically skipped through my door and let himself fall on my bed. "Guess who bought the world's best movie to watch! Prepare to go back to the future."<br>What?  
>"What….are you talking about?" I can tell this is going to be a long day. I'm standing in the doorway to my bathroom staring at Max who is lazily dressed in sweat pants and a black low cut shirt.<br>"Back to the future! I bought the movie so we can watch the DeLorean skip through time and stuff, you know." Actually I didn't.  
>"Is this another one of those Quidditch things you wont stop talking about? I mean, I'm not a witch or nothing so…"<br>"No, no it isn't. And don't slam Quidditch, or I will have to leave." As much as I liked teasing him about his habits of getting attached to movies, I would like the company.  
>"Right, whatever, since you're the resident fangirl in the place, which is the better Back to the future movie?" I slumped over and sat on the edge of the bed just as he sat up to look at me.<br>"Now you're talking" he said, adding a wink at the end.

So I'm spending the day watching stupid movies about some science guy with his dog going to the future only to mess it up and some other retro dude going back to the past. Which makes no sense considering this is titled, Back to the Future. But I sit here with Max and it's nice. It's peaceful. Especially with the craziness through school lately. When the movie ends, we head over to the feeders.  
>"Hey, did you hear about the party Amy is throwing tomorrow night?"<br>"Yeah, I did, are you going?" Honestly a party is the last thing I want to go to, so if he is going, he is going by himself.  
>"Nah, I wasn't going to go without you and I know you aren't going" I give a slight laugh at his response. I turn to give him a smile and his eyes brighten when I do. I've missed that little sparkle.<p>

The rest of the weekend was calm. It's nice just to spend time with Max without worrying about schoolwork or assignments or mysterious visions, speaking of which I haven't had any in the last few days. And then I'm back to class. Ancient poetry is one of my blow off classes. Only picked to do minimal work, little did I know how much they would actually made me do. I'm kind of glad there isn't any of Thou art Shaketh spear in this class or I would have just transferred completely. I suppose it's not that bad if you don't count all the writing.

I'm scribbling in my book and I can hear people behind me whispering and giggling, I can't make out what they are saying though. I lean back in my chair, cross my arms and sigh. If only words can write themselves down. My hands hurt from writing a lot, I'm exhausted from magic class. Which was a total dud, might I add. I'm hopeless. I can hardly make bubbles come up in water. Once again I wish schoolwork would just do itself.

Just as I go to go back to my work, I hear whispers around me but they are slightly louder than first ones I heard behind me. I glance over my arm to see if anyone is talking to me but they aren't. There Is a group of 3 people directly across from me, furiously writing down notes, and two people behind them, rehearsing a poem to one another and there's the couple two seats behind me who look like they could fall asleep. The seat behind me is occupied by what other people might perceive as a well working student, writing her poems, and taking notes. The spot in front of me is empty but I can still hear it.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath and try to concentrate abit more on the words. Its hushed words, I don't understand it. Like it's another language. I end up with a headache and try to push the voices away and get back to my work. As I lean forward I notice black ink, slinking across my page. I have to stop myself from running out of the classroom when I realise it's the notes that are on the board in front of me. That I haven't written down yet. But they are here, on my page, now. I glance around again taking in the people but nothing seems amiss. I return to look at me pink binder book and the black ink is still writing. I watch in awe as well as horror at what is happening on my page.

Just then the bell rings and I snap my book shut. The group next to me give me a weird look at my anger towards my book and walk off to the next class. When everyone is out of the room I slowly open the page up. The writing is still there. I replay the last few moments in my head, I was looking around the classroom at my fellow classmates, I go to do my work and here whispers and then bam, my words are writing themselves. Shoving my books into my bag I head off to the next class.

Thankfully Max is with me this time, I rush up to my seat next to him, my breathing ragged as I try to catch my bearings.  
>"Jesus, what happened to you? You look like you have seen a ghost and run a marathon."<br>"My notes wrote themselves." I have to tell him, I have to tell someone.  
>"Yeah, and my food cooked itself" he laughs at his joke and then turns to me and blanches.<br>"I'm serious Max" I open my book to the page where my notes were written down. There is no difference in handwriting, it looks as though I've done it myself.  
>"Not sure what I'm meant to be looking at, do you need help with poetry? I mean, I'm all for helping but I'm not that good at…"<br>"No, Max, shut up. I'm serious. I was in class and I stopped writing for abit, then I hear these voices and them my work is done. I didn't touch a pen or anything it just started writing." I sound insane.  
>The look on his face is clear he doesn't believe me.<br>"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't Ve." I glare at him and he sighs and turns to get his things out for class. What is happening to me? First these vision things, then my book writing its own notes, maybe I should admit myself to an asylum. I take a breath and reassure myself nothing happened. I must have completed it before I stopped, and assumed I was seeing things. That's all that happened. I see Max watching me and give him a small smile which he returns and its back to class.

Lunch time comes round and I'm grateful, I skipped breakfast this morning and my stomach sounds like a whale in heat.  
>"So how was magic practice? Still having trouble?" My stomach grumbles. "What, in the world, was that?" he stares at me. Yes that was my stomach, please leave the whale alone.<br>"My stomach, I skipped breakfast this morning, haven't had time to go to the feeders and I'm hungry ok, leave me be. And it was horrible, and yes I'm still having trouble."  
>"Well, uh, first off, you need to feed whatever is growing in yo…" I glare at him "never mind. I can help you with magic if you want? I mean we are both air users so it can't be that hard, I'll ask Ms Carmack if we can do it in the classroom, yeah?"<br>"That would be great, thank you."

Max pulls through with his offer and now I'm off to Ms Carmacks room.  
>"You kids will be ok in here? Please try and leave my classroom intact." She is grabbing the last of her things just as I walk in.<br>"Yeah, we will be good miss, thanks" She gives me a small nod as she walks past.  
>"Well, let's get this lesson underway shall we" Max rolls up his sleeves like he's about to start a fight.<br>"Yes sir" I salute and laugh. We go through the simple stuff first, summoning air and moving it, which I can do but it gets easier each time I do it. Then we move onto harder things, like using air to move someone's arm or leg, and adding air to another element like fire. I have trouble with using air to move max's hand but it twitches ever so slightly which I take as a good sign. It's the adding air to fire thing I have trouble with. There is a small flame flickering from a burner on the table opposite me and I stare at it. I'm concentrating so hard, my brain starts to hurt, and then the voices come again, just like little whispers. Without taking my eyes off the flame, I ask max if he can hear anything, to which he shakes his head and tells me to concentrate more. I'm trying but I can't with these dammed voices in my ears.

I don't even know what I'm concentrating on, if it's either the whispers or the flame but words come through and I still don't know what they mean.  
><em>"Altius flamma. Altius flamma. Altius flamma. Altius flamma."<br>_They just repeat and repeat and finally I give up. I let out a heavy breath and put my head in my heads and rub my temples. Now I'm going to need aspirin. I hear a small gasp but I don't really react to it until Max says something.  
>"Ve," He says slowly, "What are you doing?"<br>"Rubbing my temples Max, what does it look like, you have me concentrating so damn hard it hurts."  
>"Ve, look." The shock in his voice is the only thing to draw my head up and what I find completely astonishes me. The flame is levitating. It is no longer attached to the burning but floating just above my head. I stand up and walk around it, completely horrified.<br>"Max, stop it. You have played your joke now stop it"  
>"I'm not doing anything, I thought you were." The complete disbelief is visible in his voice and his face. "I think I believe you about the writing"<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

We both stand frozen for a minute.  
>"How do we make it stop?" no answer, "Max! How do we make it stop!"<br>"I, uh, I, I have no idea." He stutters out. I pinch my arm hoping that this floating flame just stops. And it does.  
>"So, uh, Ve, care to explain?" Max breaths out and stares at me in shock.<br>"If I knew, so would you. You can't tell anyone about this Max, between this, the writing and the visions, I'm going to sound like a complete and utt…"  
>"Wait, hold up, did you say visions?" Ugh, great. Now I have to explain this too. I sit there for the remainder of the time we have and explain my visions and everything else that has happened. Once I'm done he looks like he's going to have a heart attack.<br>"Well this is an interesting development. I don't suppose you can like, talk to dead people and stuff too?" I smack his arm, but I know he's only joking to take away the weirdness of this situation. We walk quietly back to our dorms.

The days pass quietly and I'm grateful, I don't think I can take anymore of the weirdness and max hasn't stopped asking questions.  
>"So have you done any more research on this, Nes-hoosi-what's-y name people thing? I mean it sounds really interesting and your obviously connected somehow?"<br>"Nesahla," I correct, "and no I haven't, I've just been trying to shove it all out of my head and I've been too busy doing everything else to even think about it."  
>Max, glances around to make sure we are alone, "Do you think your related to these Nesahla people?" he whispers.<br>"You've watched too many movies Max, of course I'm not related the family was wiped out years ago, how the hell would I be here if I was."  
>"Hmmm, good point."<br>We head into the cafeteria in silence, get our food and walk to our table without speaking a word. After lunch we head back to class and on our way we spot two girls who are obviously in a heated argument.

"Oh, so what just because he gave you a compliment you think its ok to sleep with him? Honestly your so damn stupid I can see why he would take advantage of you." The first girl almost spat out.  
>"Well your boyfriend obviously found something in he missed in you if he slept with me."<br>Oh great, a prissy little girl fight over sleeping with someone's boyfriend. Although this seemed more of an old vendetta, the first girl is getting awfully close to the other girl and is clenching her fists. Well I suppose I may as well play the role of referee here.  
>"Hey, can you girls take this somewhere else, or just stop completely, first, you both sound like total tools," I can hear Max snickering in the background. "Second, people need to get down the stairs to class." I point to the stairs beside the first girl and she glances at them and then comes to stand in front of me. She has cropped brown hair with a really bad red dye job, black liner rims the bottom of her eyes and is all splotchy, honestly if she looks like this everyday I can see why her boyfriend cheated. I sigh.<br>"Oh, and who are you to tell me what to do, Markson, going to get your little pet over there to do your dirty work." She nods to Max, who straightness up in a defensive motion.  
>"Don't talk smack about her, your boyfriend is the one who cheated with that chick over there not Vienna." He says something else but I'm not listening, someone is whispering. Oh no, not again. My heart starts beating really fast and somehow I know what's coming.<br>"Ok, this needs to stop now, before someone gets hurt." My breathing is laboured and I don't know why.  
>"Is this a threat Markson?" I wish she would stop calling me by my last name. I grit my teeth and try not to let my anger get the best of me. Why am I so angry all of a sudden?<br>"Back. Off." My fists are clenched and my body is rigid. The girl steps towards me.  
>"Oh yeah? Or what?" she gives me a smirk and I go to step toward her, but I don't reach her. Within a millisecond of stepping forward, the voices harshly whisper something and then all I know is the girl is falling down the stairs. She gives a small squeal when she hits the first few steps, and then she falls quietly. In a hurry, I'm down the stairs to meet her at the bottom. My body goes cold as I see her nose is bleeding, she is unconscious and her left leg is angled in a disgusting position.<br>One of the girls friends come rushing down the stairs and kneels beside her friend.  
>"Lara, Lara please wake up" she shakes her and then whips her head towards me. "What did you do that for!" she cries.<br>I look back up the stairs and Max is watching me, his shock and horror reflecting mine. He raises his eyebrows and I shake my head to which I see, rather then hear him gasp. He runs down the stairs to me and grabs my arm and starts pulling me toward the girls' bathroom.  
>I can only hear faint screams of help as he pulls me out the door.<br>"That wasn't you?" I shake my head. "Did you hear the whispers?" I nod. "Oh my god, this is bad." I nod again. I'm utterly speechless. I hurt that Lara girl, but I didn't. I don't know if it was me, or the people whispering or what. I just don't know. I sink to my knees against the bricks outside the girls' bathroom. Max sits besides me and says nothing but rhythimatically strokes my arm to calm me.  
>"Vienna, Headmistress Kirova's office. Now." One of the teachers approaches me and helps me up and walks me to the office. I look back at max who gives me an encouraging nod.<p>

I'm suspended for two weeks. I didn't bother giving an argument; I'm still in shock. I can't understand what happened.

For the next two days I just lay in bed. Maybe if I avoid everyone and everything I wont hurt anyone or do something stupid. Max comes to my door multiple times but I avoid him. I can't deal with people right now. He came around again on the third day but his knock is different this time, harder. I continue to lay in bed, until I hear someone speak.  
>"Vienna, its your father, let me in." I hesitate for a moment. Oh no, why is he here? I'm not going to court for another week. Maybe he heard about the incident. Of course he did, parents have to know. I get up out of bed and pat my hair down to try and get some sort of semblance as I walk to the door. When I open it, my father is standing there. All dark cropped hair, bushy black eyebrows and a grey suit. A suit? Really dad?<br>"Well I gather you know why I'm here, but I'm not here to talk right now, pack your things we are going to court early." I nod meekly and he says he will wait outside. I hurry back in and grab a backpack and shove 3 pairs of jeans and 4 tops in. That is all I should need, I just hope I can do laundry while I'm there. When I walk out dad stares at my bag but says nothing as we walk towards a black SUV.  
>"Who's car is this?" last time I remember we had a little red Toyota.<br>"Its your mothers." Wow, nice job mum. You certainly done better than dad, between his suit and the car we may as well look like a royal family.

Two hours later, we arrive in the courts lobby. Its exquisite. The counters are all black marbled and the royal crests line the walls. I stare in amazement as dad sets up our accommodation. And 5 minutes later we are on our way to our room. We walk past a line of cafes and expensive clothes shops, and then through a very well cared courtyard complete with purple pansie flowers and other white flowers, a little hedge maze that surrounds a stone water fountain, little bench seats are scattered throughout the maze and around the outside, perfect for little picnics or just a nice stroll. Then we arrive at the guest housing and our room is nicely sized. I would say its huge or anything; it's about the size of an average 2-room apartment. Somewhere in my brain I realise we aren't staying with mum.  
>"Why aren't we staying with mum?"<br>"Your mother earns enough to pay off a car but not enough to have a huge apartment here at court." And with that, he walks into his room, abruptly shuts the door and leaves me to my thoughts. I slowly pad through the little apartment, taking in the details. Its cosy. I set my bag on the double bed in my room, which is painted ivory with little fruit paintings here and there. I sigh, change my clothes and head out. Why not explore abit.

I walk quietly back through the courtyard and into a set of doors, I seen on the way over, and end up in a little mall looking centre. The walls are lined with more clothes shops, all of which are probably filled with outfits made from the best royal fashion icons. A little restaurant is seated in between what looks like a spa and a jewellery shop. Starting at the end, I walk into a little boutique which doesn't look all that posh, thank god and it is placed next to a bar, right before I walk in, I see a figure walking out of the bar with a dark haired moroi girl. He is tall, with dark, dark hair and striking green eyes, he sees me staring, and gives me a lazy smile and a wink and then my senses are overcome with a bright, blinding light and then there is another girl. She has shoulder length blond hair with highlights, I see a flash of what I think is a school and a few Moroi and Dhampirs; I have no idea who these people are or why these visions have come at the sight of some drunk Moroi. I see more flashes of a blond girl, and she is in a dark room on a metal table, there's only one light shining on her and she is screaming.

All at once my visions are gone and I'm back staring at the moroi guy with his arm draped over a girl just as they walk out a door. I take a deep breath and remind myself that it's ok and I'm fine. I continue my little window shop, weaving in and out of the little shops placed here and thee, careful not to go into and of the big name ones. Once I'm done, I head out the door, I'm exhausted, and I just need to sleep. As I walk out the door I run into someone.  
>"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." I say as I bend down to pick up the papers the lady dropped.<br>"Its ok, no need to apologise." I pause for a moment, I know that voice. I peek up and see the face I know and love.  
>"Mum" I jump at her to give her a hug.<br>"I've missed you, beautiful girl."  
>"Me too, mum. I've missed you too." I breathe.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

Dinner with mum was amazing, we talked for hours, even dad was happier with her around. Nice to know she can bring that out of him instead of me. She spent the night and was off to work the next morning and I walked with her so she could show me where the courts library was.  
>The court library is huge. Rows and rows of book, most of which are historical. There are display cabinets placed here and there, I ask the librarian where I can find the family history books. A few minutes later I'm settled in a little desk between the entrance and where the art books start.<br>"Do you need anything else?" the librarian asks politely.  
>"No, thanks, these will do for now." I give her a small smile and she walks back to her desk. I sigh and open one of the big books on 'Common' Moroi family history. To which I find nothing. It's just pages and pages of certain people that have achieved greater things, and no Marksons. Realising this could be a bigger search then I thought I wave over the librarian and ask to use the computers and an extensive research engine. She sets my computer up and brings up the site.<p>

I type in Markson and am surprised to find a lot more information than I have on my computer at school. Thinking of school I wonder how Max is. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I bring up the third section of information, I scroll through my family history, and this goes back multiple centuries ago. My search stops at a Vienna Markson. How ironic. Though she was adopted at 2 months of age, this is the earliest I can find on my family history but at least now I have a lot more information. As I'm scrolling through the information of the first Vienna, the room changes. I'm a nursery, in a very, very old styled home. The carpets are green, with lace patterns scattered through it, the walls are a deep red, lined with tapestries of a family and seated in a corner is an ivory, high backed rocking chair with blankets draped over the top of it. I spin around and on the other side of the room is a wooden cot, which I suspect is actually made of a deep brown wood. The door is open and I slowly walk towards it. I feel some sort of compulsion to touch the walls, to try and feel the lives that lived here, and as I do, the scene changes again, a mother holding her baby, the father seated in the rocking chair with his head in his hands. 

"Louella, we have to do this, for our daughter's sake. For the family." The man whispers, and the woman's smile falters a little but she doesn't look up from her child.  
>I take my hand off the wall and I'm back in the empty room. I pad quietly out the door and freeze right where I'm standing. The pillars. I see the pillars. The door behind the pillars is open and I can see the shelves filled with books inside it. This is where the book is, it's here. I have to find it. I go to walk towards the library door but I'm propelled back into my real time body.<p>

My breathing is accelerated and my hands are gripping the mouse and the side of the computer desk. Now I've learned to control the visions, I just need to control my body's reaction. As I close my eyes and to calm my racing heart, I realise that half the reason I came here was because the book was meant to be here.

I shut the programme down and rush up to the librarians counter.  
>"Excuse me, um, I heard my history teacher talking about a book that hasn't been opened since it was found in one of the strigoi wars and he said it was here, do you have it?"<p>

She raised her eyebrows, legitimately surprised at my question.  
>"Why yes, though no one has asked about that book in years, I'm surprised they are still teaching it. Would you like to have a look at it?" I nod eagerly and she walks out from her counter and strides with renewed purpose over to the display section and goes to a small corner adjacent to the door.<br>"Here it is, this book is one of a historical mystery if you ask me, never been opened since it was found and believe me, many have tried."  
>"Do you know why it won't open?"<br>"Well, no dear. No one knows why this book won't open. We have tried all the magic elements, even destruction, but it remains intact each time." She gives me a small glance and a nod, and walks off. I just stand there, dumbfounded. This is it. This is the book. I touch the glass, hoping to bring on a vision or something, anything. But nothing happens.

The book is covered by brown leather and not even the pages can be seen. Even though it is centuries old, the book looks to be in perfect condition, like it was written yesterday. I just stare at it for what seems like a few minutes but I look at my watch and it's been an hour and a half.  
>I go to walk out the door but am interrupted by the librarian.<br>"Excuse me sweetheart, you forgot your books." She hands me my schoolbooks where I've written down my research. I take them from her and head out the door and straight to a café. I order a salad sandwich and a coffee and sit down at a table in the far corner, away from everyone and open my books to go over what I've got and start constructing what I hope is a sensible family tree.  
>I start with myself, continue with my parents and so on. I skip a few generations and write the first Vienna Markson at the bottom. I lean back and admire my work and start to think about the visions I had today. Honestly, all my visions have been insignificant to me. I have no idea what they mean, or why I'm seeing them. The woman is stuck in my mind too, Louella, I think her name is. Maybe I'm related to her. No I can't be. I never found a Louella in my research and it only goes back to Vienna, which I think was probably near her time. I can sort of see a resemblance though. She had hazel eyes and long brown hair that sat in the middle of her back. I take a bite of my sandwich and go back to working on my family tree and writing down the information I need.<p>

"You should see Rhonda" a conversation drifts over to my table but I try to ignore it.

"I'm not sure, there are two different psychics in court, and I just don't know which to go to." Another woman replies. Psychics? They have them here at court? I glance over at the two women walking past my table.

"Honestly, she is the better psychic, a lot of people recommended her to me and I would too..."

I watch them leave and mull over their conversation for a second before I shut my book, shove my stuff into a bag and head over to the information desk.  
>"Excuse me" the lady peaks up at my voice, "Could you tell me where Rhonda is? The Psychic?" She explains her location, which is down the hall on the right and I'll see a reception desk. I thank her and head down the hallway I first came in. I see only one white marble reception desk and the receptionist books me in for a few hours later.<p>

I walk back to our apartment and mull over everything while I'm in the shower. After I've had some food, and watched a little TV, I head back out to my appointment with Rhonda.  
>I wait patiently as she finishes with her current client, who walks out with a confused look on his face and his hands stuffed in his pockets. Was this really a good idea? I stare at his receding form and he walks out the door just as the receptionist calls me to go in. There is a woman sitting on the floor but I pay no attention. I can't stop looking around the room. The room is filled with deep red, well, everything. The walls, the pillows on the floor, even Rhonda is dressed in red.<br>"Please, sit" she says. I sit and look her over for any sign that she is like me. Which is stupid, she wouldn't be any different on the outside. Neither am I. I don't think.  
>When I stop staring I suddenly realise she is also staring intently at me. It's really unnerving. Does she look at all her clients like that? I sink further into the pillows and see tarot cards in a pack between us.<br>"Your very intriguing, my dear" she says, quiet mystically, might I add. It's creepy. "You shouldn't need me to find your answers."  
>"I'm sorry, I don't understand…" she doesn't give me time to finish my sentence.<br>"Yes you do, you have…powers, don't you. I know why you are here, and so do you." Well isn't she straight down to business.  
>"I need help. I'm having visions, of places and people I don't know and I can't understand them."<br>"You have special abilities catered to only one family. I have seen this before. Do you have any siblings?" she has seen this before?  
>"No, I don't, I'm an only child." She frowns but doesn't say anything. Why would she want to know if I had any siblings?<br>"You need to learn. You need to control it." Her eyes bore into me and it's unnerving. Does she really know?  
>"I can't, I don't know how, I need help." Even I hear the pleading tone in my voice.<br>"If you do not control it," she starts, "It will destroy many, many things, both personally and literally. Your abilities are in ground in many centuries of secrets, in a very rich history only you can know."  
>"How do you know all this?"<br>"I just do. You need to continue your research to find your answers. No one but you can complete this task. Only you can achieve what many have not." It's with that note, that the receptionist knocks and tells Rhonda her next appointment is here. Has it really been half an hour? It feels like minutes. Rhonda stares at her tarot cards as I stand but then gives me one last piercing look as I walk out her door.

I walk silently outside and sit on one of the benches in the hedge maze. I have more questions than answers now. I have no idea what to do. Control what, find out what, what secrets? It's so frustrating.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

The rest of my court trip passed uneventfully and today I'm heading back to school. I emailed Max a few times and everything appears to be ok, news of what happened to Lara passed over and no one seems interested by it anymore. Although I'm still on suspension and its pretty much class, food, feeders and dorm, I've acquired a few things to help me pass the time in my room; Tarot cards. I bought a pack from a spiritual shop at court, which I didn't even know they had because it was tucked away on a corner, you wouldn't know it was there unless someone showed you. I just want to try and read them and see how I go. I mean, they can't be that hard, if I have these special abilities like Rhonda says I do, then I shouldn't have much trouble getting a feel for the cards.

Our car arrives back at school, in the black SUV. Since dad is returning to court after dropping me off and sorting out the rest of my suspension with Kirova, he borrowed mums car again. It was so nice to see her. We spent almost every day together, after she was off work that is. She explained everything that was going on at court, all the politics and even a few royal rumours. She heard that Queen Tatiana has practically disowned the Dragomir Family because of Lissa's getaway, I'm guessing Rose is on her hit list too.

As if on cue, I run into Rose on my way back to the dorm.  
>"Jesus," she says, what an opening. "Are you ok? Sorry, I didn't see you walk towards me."<br>"No it's ok, I wasn't watching where I was going." She eyes me warily, like she is watching a stray cat to see if it's going to claw her eyes out.  
>"Should be more careful, I'm Rose by the way, though I'm sure you've heard the things going around." I did.<br>"Yeah, not that it's my business. I'm Vienna." I give her a small smile, and to my surprise she returned it with her own.  
>"Nice name. Anyway I've gotta go, cya!" I didn't get a chance to say anything because she was already striding away. I stared at her. She is certainly a wonder that girl. She looks like a warrior, and if rumours true and she is training with Guardian Belikov, then she isn't far off it. I watch as she walks away in her black thermal shirt, grey jeans and combat boots. She has long almost black hair that swings to her mid back and her figure is probably every Moroi girls dream. I feel a slight tingle in my head and I no what's coming. Visions. I now know, that for a nanosecond I feel a slight tingle, I never took notice until I sifted through my memories of my visions and what happened before and after.<p>

This vision is different, I'm not propelled back to ancient times with strangers. The girl in my visions this time is Rose, her form is unmistakable. As to what happens I have no idea. I can see a guy, with long hair and red eyes, then she's on a bridge, and then the scene moves and shifts and I'm between evenly placed cold metal bars, people are fighting when the scene changes again, the only thing that doesn't change is Rose, she is in every setting I see. My mind shifts again and I'm back in my own body, still watching her receding form. Weird. I have no idea what that all was.

I sigh and head towards Max's dorm. I haven't told him what happened at court, it's too much to explain in an email and I need his help with a theory I want to test. I'm walking towards Max's dorm and I realise what he was saying is true, no one really remembers what happened with Lara, no one stares, or whispers when I walk past. Perks of being a 'common' family. I knock on his door and he answers instantly with a big smile and draws me into a big bear hug.  
>"Wow, nice to see you too" I laugh and he sets me down<br>"You honestly have no idea how boring it's been, I've had no one to talk to"  
>"Yeah me neither." I step into his room and he shuts the door.<br>"So, anything interesting happen?" he asks and I replay the trip to court to him. At the end, he's staring at the floor, looking utterly astonished.  
>"So wait, this chick, told you, that you have special abilities?" I nod "Did she say what they were? And what about this research thing? And the people in your visions? Do you think you'll be able to read the tarot cards? Do you know what triggers your visions yet? And what about the book?"<br>"Ok well to answer all your questions, no, I'm still doing it, I have no idea who they are, I have no idea, no, and nope, no clue." I sigh.  
>"Wow." Yeah max, that's the word.<br>"I also have a favour to ask" that piqued up his interest, I hardly ever asked for favours. He lifted his head and nodded.  
>"Well, I want to try and bring on my visions, I want to try some things that I hope will bring them on, because I have no idea." I explain. He looks at me weirdly.<br>"You're not going to make me, like, hurt you or anything? I mean I've seen movies where…"  
>"Jesus, no max, you watch to many movies, some of my visions come on just after I meet people, people I don't usually talk to or anything, but some just come on randomly, like I could be looking at a computer or eating food."<br>"So what do you have in mind? You could try meditation, I mean being really relaxed might trigger a part in your mind, or you can walk around and see people you don't usually and see what happens." Well doesn't he have all this sorted out?

A few hours later, after I've been to the feeders, Max and I head back to my room to get started on this meditation thing. Max says he can has a meditation CD – I don't even want to know how he got that – and then we are at my room. He sets up the CD player on my computer desk as he sits in the computer chair and I lay on my bed.  
>"Ok, so you just have to relax, let your mind wander and try not to think of anything and if…"<br>"I get it Max, thanks." He gives an exasperated sigh and he turns on the CD player and what sounds like waves crashing on the sand fills my room and my ears. I let out a deep breath, and pull another one in, and repeat the process. I tell myself that I want the visions to come, that I need them, to understand my past, and my future.

I need them to understand myself. I lay there for what feels like hours but when I open my eyes to look at Max's watch, it's only been two minutes.  
>"I don't think this is working," I say as I sit up in my bed.<br>"Well maybe that's because you didn't give it much time."  
>"No, I can just tell it wasn't going to happen. Like I could just feel them saying no. I always have a slight sensation before I have visions and I didn't feel it." I look down at my hands. I need this to work. I want to know what they mean. "Do you want to try again?"<br>"Ve, if it doesn't work the first time and you feel like it won't, it isn't going to happen the second or the third. I guess we could try walking and seeing people if you want?" Max looks so sincere, like he really does want me to understand. And I see part of his old self, the self he was when we were together.  
>"Not today, I've had a really long day, maybe I just need to sleep." Max nods and I walk him out the door, thanking him for all his help. He gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then he is gone. I walk back into my room and shut the door and throw myself back at the bed. Why can't this work? I glance around my room and see my school stuff thrown on my desk, I suppose I should get everything sorted for tomorrow.<p>

I wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. I sit up, gasping for air, and look around my room however, everything seems to be in place. I see a smallest of light spilling through the side of my curtains from the bright daylight outside. I bring my hands to my eyes and rub my head. I must have had a nightmare. I get up to get a drink of water and something rustles on my bed. I look down and see piles and piles of paper, all lined with black scribbles. I stare incredulously. What the hell is this? I get the rest of the way out of the bed and I pick up one of the pieces of paper. Lines and lines of words written in a different language. But it's the same words, printed over and over. The handwriting is messy so some of it is hard to make out, but some of the words are clear.  
>"<em>Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum<em>" written over and over between what would be about 30 pages. I don't understand the language or what it says. I gather the pieces up, throw them in the garbage except a few which I shove into my bag. I have to show Max.

I can't sleep the rest of the night so I attempt to finish some of the schoolwork I've missed. I can't stop thinking about the words. They repeat continually in my head. Not a moment too soon I check my watch and see that the cafeteria would be open for breakfast. I run down and line up with a few other people. Hushed conversations are going on around me but I hardly take notice. With faint awareness I head back to my room after I've got my breakfast to get my things for class and I see Max waiting at my door. He smiles as he sees me and then his smile falls when he takes in my expression.  
>"What's wrong? Did something happen?" I nod and he follows me into my room and I fish out the papers and thrust them into his chest. He takes them wearily and reads the words.<br>"Do you know what it means?" he glances at me and I shake my head. "Me neither. Did you do this?"  
>"I don't know. I mean I must have. I was the only one in here last night." I remember how I woke abruptly and wonder if this was why.<br>"It's in Latin but I have no idea how to read Latin and it's not like we can show the teachers this stuff." I nod solemnly.  
>"I know! I have no idea what to do."<br>"Well Ve, it looks like we have some Latin to do." He gives me a mischievous smile which I can't help but return.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

I didn't know how hard it was to get into a Latin class. I suppose because it's so late in the school year and the paper work would be a nightmare.  
>"Why don't we just google translate it…?"<br>"Really Max! You couldn't have thought of that before? So I just went through all of this trouble, to get into a damn Latin class, when we could just use google translate." God dammit Max.  
>"Well, sorry, I only just thought of it."<br>I sigh. His sorry voice really throws me off.  
>"It's ok, now you have to help me translate it then" he nods as we head down to the feeders.<p>

"So you have no idea how, or why you started writing Latin in your sleep?"  
>It happened again the next night, I awoke to papers covering my bed but it was all the same words.<br>"I have no idea. I mean, I swear I've heard those words before I just don't know where. I'm guessing it has something to do with these visions and what the psychic said. Oh which reminds me, I'm going to try the tarot cards this afternoon." After everything that went on for the past 2 days, I haven't really been interested in bringing out the cards.  
>"Do you want me to be there? I mean, maybe you can try and give me a reading." Nice idea Max, you're full of with great ones today.<br>"Yeah actually, that might be a good idea."

Leaving the feeders, I head off to magic class. Today's class is theory though, so I don't have a chance to practice some more. Which isn't going well either. I still can't accomplish anything big like air users usually can. It's just little things. We talk about how all four magic elements are forged into stakes and wards and how it conflicts with Strigoi life. It gets me thinking about Strigoi. I wonder what it would like to be one. I mean everyone is all, 'Oh no, it's the worst thing in the world, you destroy the world, no humanity, blah blah blah' but I wonder what immortality would be like. It's kind of weird how Strigoi are created too. Strigoi can be made willingly or by force. If a Moroi purposely – or accidently for that matter – kills someone while feeding, whether it be a human, another Moroi, or dhampir, that person will turn Strigoi. A Strigoi can turn people forcibly by the draining of their blood, the Strigoi then feeds back its blood to the victim, then viola you have a Strigoi.  
>"Miss," I ask, "Do you know how Strigoi were first made? Like was the first one made from killing someone, or was it something else?" the whole class looks at me curiously and I shrug. It's just a question.<br>"Well, that's a good question. I'm guessing that your theory of someone killing another, is what created the line of Strigoi, but legend says that an ancient form of magic, forged the Strigoi bloodline, that magic in a different form, created a strigoi without the death of another being. As I said, this is legend, which most likely means fiction. But, this came about within the years of the Strigoi being created…" An ancient form of magic, hey. Could this be what the psychic was talking about? My abilities. All too soon class ends and I'm back to my room.

To my surprise, Max is waiting at my door when I show up. He runs up as he sees me.  
>"Hey, so I was in the library and I finished my assignment, which was really boring by the way, and I remembered I had one of the pieces of paper with your writing on it, you know, the one in Latin. Don't look at me weird, I think you gave it to me, of course you probably don't remember because you have the worst memory, like ever," he sees my face and pauses, "Anyway, I translated the words for you." He hands me the piece of paper which has a small sentence scribbled underneath it.<br>'_Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum. _The secrets will live prisoner'  
>What in the world!?<br>"This means absolutely nothing to me. 'The secrets will live prisoner' really? That sounds so cliché"  
>"Sorry, I did the best I could." He look solemnly at me.<br>"Oh no Max, you did great! Thank you. I just don't know what it means so right now, it doesn't really get us any further." I shove the paper into my bag and head into my room.

"Ok so how does this work again?" I'm sitting on my bed with my legs crossed and a tarot deck in front of me. Max is sitting opposite me with his hands in his lap and an uncertain look on his face.  
>"Well, I don't exactly know, I'm going to get you to cut the deck, I'll put out three cards in front of you and see if I can read them." He looks at me like I'm saying every human being has a pair of butterfly wings. "Just cut the deck Max."<br>I hand the deck to him and he cuts almost halfway through the deck. I take back the bottom half, and he hands me to top part he cut. I bring them back to me and take a deep breath, Max looks at me uncertainly. I flip over the top 3 cards in front of me.  
>The first card on the left is the 3 of pentacles, the middle one is ace of swords, and the right card is the empress. Max looks at me again and I stare down at the cards trying to read them. I stare for ages but nothing really comes to me. It's so quiet in my room I can hear mine and Max's breathe at different intervals. Nothing happens. Although at different stages of my concentration the Latin words pass through my head.<br>"_Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum. Occulta ep ipse vivet vinctum" _  
>I concentrate on the words and the cards to see if I can connect them, but I can't.<br>Eventually Max sighs and leans back on the bed.  
>"Ok, it's been ages, this isn't working. Maybe you have to, like, research the cards or something. Learn what each of them mean and stuff."<br>"Obviously you do Max, I just thought that maybe I would just understand them or it would bring on a vision or something." I put my head in my hands.  
>"Well maybe this vision thing has just stopped, it probably doesn't mean anything. Maybe you're just going through a phase or something." Max looks so uncertain of everything I'm saying.<br>"It's not a phase Max! It means something! I know it does I just don't know what and I can't figure it out! Maybe if you would help more…" I'm yelling at this point and I don't know how I got this frustrated so quickly. 

"I am trying to help! I'm being your friend in all this! Which means I have to be honest! This stuff is just stupid, you probably were just dreaming about those stupid words and have dreams about the book and everything else. Your just remembering it during the day!" his voice raises slightly as well.  
>"I am not remembering dreams! How do you explain the visions of Dragomir and Hathaway then?" My fists are clenched and I'm starting to shake.<br>"I don't know! Half of this is unexplainable! Why can't you just leave this alone and forget about it?" he stands up at the end of the bed.  
>"Because this is something I have to do for me! This means something to me! If you were really my friend you would help me and stop being so damn stupid because I can't understand some god damn tarot cards!" the words rush out and it comes out a lot harsher then I meant it.<br>"Well maybe I'm not your friend." His mouth is set in a hard line and he is fidgeting with his hands which is a habit when he is frustrated.

I suck in my breath. "So what, you're not my friend then?"  
>"No." with that, he quickly closes the distance between us and brings his hands to my face. Before I can form a coherent thought, his lips are on mine, his hands weaving through my hair. His lips are just like I remember, soft and comforting. He slowly walks me back and pushes me against the wall next to my bed, I can feel the corner of the window seal digging into my back. He moves his hands down my side and snakes them around my hips.<br>He pulls me closer so that I can feel his heart beat on my chest, just above my own pulse, he does all this without breaking the kiss. My breathing accelerates and I kiss him back. It's been so long since I've kissed someone. I miss it. My eyes flutter open and shut again.

Reality hits like a bucket of cold water. No, no Max shouldn't be doing this. No. I try to bring my hands back from behind his neck and put them on his chest, he gives a slight gasp and it makes me falter. I push him hard away from me.  
>"No, Max, stop." I say just as he stops kissing me for air. "Stop." I continue to push him and he eventually backs away from me.<br>"But I thought, I thought you wanted me. We can do this Vienna, you know we can. We can try again." He sounds so desperate.  
>"No, we can't. You shouldn't have done that. Leave please. Just go." I turn towards the window and look out at the pitch blackness.<br>"Vienna, please." He moves towards me and I try to move closer toward the window but it's impossible, I may as well climb out it.  
>His expression turns from desperate to complete shutdown. His face goes blank. And in a blink, he turns and stalks out the door and slams it.<br>I sink back against the wall.

I spend the rest of the day sitting on my bed, trying to work out the tarot cards and thinking about Max. This is all so confusing. I didn't give him any reason for him to kiss me, I don't think I did. We were doing so well. When it comes to dinner I slink up to the kitchen and make myself something to eat. Doing all this without seeing Max is a relief. I can't see him right now. Before I leave I notice someone sitting at a table and staring at me. I have no clue who he is. While I cook dinner he continues to stare and it's unnerving. After a full 20 minutes of being stared at I turn to the stranger.  
>"Excuse me, do you have a problem?"<p>

He sits back in his chair like my attention is the exact thing he wanted. He leaves one leg on the ground and throws the other over the arm of the chair. He flounces an arm over the back of the chair too.  
>"Vienna Markson. What a pleasure to finally meet you." He says with a smirk. Finally meet me? I haven't seen this guy before.<br>"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I narrow my eyes slightly so this guy, whoever he is, knows I'm not in the mood to be messed with right now. He sits up and comes to a stand in front of me and holds out his hand.  
>"No, you don't. But I know you. And the problems you're having." I stare at his hand incredulously. Is this some joke?<br>"I have no idea what you're talking about." I cross my arms over my chest, this is so not what I need.  
>"Oh sure you do, you know, the mysterious visions, the voices in your hand, excreta etcetera." He waves his hand like he's talking about the weather. I glance around to see if anyone is watching. And stare at him again. How does he know? "I know because," wow that was weird… "I have the same thing. I've been through it before. I'll gladly help you if you like. But trust me, you really shouldn't be telling your boyfriend, what's-his-name your little problems, no one will understand, I know that much. Anyway, I've gotta go, I'll see you around." He dips his head, like he has a hat on and begins to walk away.<br>"Hey I didn't get your name." I yell at his receding form.  
>"That's because I didn't give it to you." He laughs as he walks out the door.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9.**

The door slams and the stranger is gone. I stare back at my food, completely dumbfounded. He has the same thing? The same what? Visions? Voices? Abandoning my food I rush out the door. And slam right into Max. Great.  
>"Oh, Vienna, hey, um, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For what happened. I mean, I clearly was reading the wrong signs and all but…"<br>"Max, I don't have time for this I have to go." I move past Max who murmurs something but I don't hear it because I'm out the door. A rush of cold wind slams in my face and grounds me to my spot. I lift my hand to cover my eyes and search the quad for the guy. He isn't here. I circle around, he can't have gone far, and it's only been seconds since he walked out the door but he is nowhere to be seen.

Out of pure desperation to avoid max, I abandon returning to my food, go around the dorm building to the opposite entry and head back up to my room. I half walk, half run my way there. Once I'm safely in the door I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. I sit in my computer chair hugging my knees close to my chest. Today has been a very weird and chaotic day.  
>I think of the Tarot cards, the writing, the weird mysterious dude, but everything always goes to Max. Max, who is my closest friend, Max, who kissed me, Max, who thought I was interested again. I sift through my memories of the last few months, I haven't given him any sign that I'm interested, at least I don't think I did and he didn't give me any sign either. I think of how our friendship will be after this, if it will even exist. I let a single tear fall on my arm and then decide to just head to bed. I just need to sleep all this off. Maybe I'm already sleeping and I'm just dreaming.<p>

I wake to a loud knock at the door.  
>"Go away." The knocker is consistent. I grunt and get out of bed and walk to the door, ready to face Max. And I'm surprised to find that it's not Max, just the mystery guy. He's leaning against the door with a lazy smile. He is wearing black, tight fitted jeans, combat boots and a grey sweater, it matches his dark, almost black hair and blue eyes.<br>"Well, about time gorgeous," he lets himself in and surveys my room, while I just stand at the door with my eyes wide. He looks back at me once he's finished surveying my room. "Practical enough I guess." He says with a smirk. "Aren't you going to shut the door? Or do you want to scream for help first." I slowly shut the door. And stand in the corner with my arms across my chest. "Do you make a habit of standing there like that? Or just around me? And you don't talk much do you?" he is still smirking.  
>"Why are you here?" I ask, very aware of how soft my voice is. Just then I notice that he is now surveying me, like one might do to see if someone is hurt, or to memorise how someone looks.<br>"Well, I like helping damsels in distress, and you…"  
>"I'm not a damsel in distress, I just want to know who you are and why you're here." I say<br>He raises an eyebrow.  
>"Well, as I said yesterday," he walks over to my computer desk, picks up some pencils and anything else he can find, criticizing everything else while he is there.<br>"I know who you are, I've been watching and I know what you can do," he gives me a side-glance and returns to eyeing off the paperweight, "And I know your boyfriend is still having trouble with it and so are you. You can't find answers."  
>Involuntarily I push myself back to the wall as far as I can go, trying to get away from him. I don't know why but he makes me nervous.<br>"I have no idea what you're talking about." But even as I say it, he looks at me knowingly.  
>"Yes you do, the visions, the words and the behaviour. I know it all." He turns to face me with his hands on his hips. "Come here." He beckons me forward.<br>I shrink back further, if that's even possible. "I'm not going near you, I don't even know you." 

He gives a small, knowing smile. "Oh but you do, come here, I want to show you something." For some reason, I feel a need to see what he wants. I walk forward slightly and slowly until I reach him. He reaches up, and I flinch. I don't know why I'm so scared.  
>"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help." He continues to lift his hand, he grabs my shoulder and then he's gone. I suck in my breath as a vision claims me.<p>

I'm in an empty house. It's the house I've seen before, the one with the woman, the child and the man. The one with the book. The mystery guy is here too. How is he here?  
>"How are you here?" I stare at him. I've never spoken to someone in my vision.<br>"Because I took you here, I'm bringing on your visions." My visions, how?  
>"I can do this because I've been here too. I've had visions. I learned to control them, to bring them on and turn them off." The way he answers my questions that are in my mind unnerves me. I look around the house, it's exactly how it was with the people here. It's not burnt, or in ashes. It's completely intact. This room is different to the last. This one has blue carpets, embedded with the same lace pattern, the walls here are white. I see the pillars that stand beside the library, and then I see the place where the safe sits. It's hardly visible this time, like it's been cloaked or something. The guy is watching me intently and we both here a whisper.<br>"_Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum"  
><em>  
>He glances up to the roof and looks around the room. Like the voice surprised him. He doesn't know about the voice.<br>"What was that?" he asks me.  
>"I have no idea." He looks back at me and then the visions fades and we are back in my dorm room and he is no longer clasping my shoulder.<br>"How did you do that? Who are you?"

"I told you, I learned a way to bring on visions, and I'll tell you, in good time. But for now, keep your secrets to yourself, no one will understand." He says and he stares intently at me, "That includes your boyfriend."  
>"He's not my boyfriend" I sigh. To which he gives a surprised expression.<br>"Still, no one needs to know, no one cares and if they do, you shouldn't have told him anyway. Chances are if anyone is interested, they want to kill you. I learned that long ago." What?

"How do you know that? Why are you here? You're obviously not a student and I haven't seen you around here before. You haven't given me your name either and you easily hide yourself. So your either wanted, or just very secretive." He smirks at me again. He has a habit of smirking.  
>"Quiet the observer aren't you? But I'm guessing you aren't that observative in your visions as you are about the people in real life. I'm guessing you didn't see the details imprinted on the family crests along the wall of the house in your vision."<br>There were family crests on the walls? I shake my head. And he sighs. "You need to pay attention, you didn't see them because your trying to remember the layout of the house, the bigger details, not the small ones, once you start concentrating on trying to find information, it just comes to you. Do you want to try again?" he asks politely.  
>Hell yeah I do. <p>

He reaches up again and then the room changes, we are back in the vision.  
>"Now, don't concentrate on everything you know, the book, the pillars or even the family. Try to concentrate on how you need more information about yourself, about how you want to know what happened, who they were, who you are, and why you have the visions. Think about those." I concentrate hard and nothing really changes. But after a few seconds, the walls shimmer, new furniture appears in the big room. I look to see if I can find the crests that he was talking about. I see them. They are a vertical pieces of tapestry with a crest I'm not really paying attention to, I'm more interested in the name above it. 'Nesahla'<p>

So this must be the Nesahla home before it watch destroyed. But why would my visions take me here? All of a sudden something shimmers into view. I glance to a bookshelf and notice on the 4th shelf from the floor, there is a slight crack behind a set of books. I just know it's the safe. I walk over and quickly throw the books on the floor. All too soon we are propelled back into our own bodies and are greeted by a knocking at the door. I know who it is. I look to the mystery guy and shake my head so he is quiet. If we don't talk, Max will just leave. The knocking continues for a few more moments and then stops. I hear a sigh and footsteps getting quieter and quieter. I wait a few more moments before I let out the breath I was holding. I walk backwards, when I feel the bed behind my knees I sit down slowly.  
>"What was all that in the vision?" I ask<br>"It's the details, the details you need to know. It's why you have these visions, so you can find out the information planted within them."

This is all so confusing. I close my eyes for a moment before I look back up and stare eye to eye with the unnamed guy.  
>"Wait, so if you can trigger visions, like go back into yours, then you have been to that house before. You know who they are." He looks at me squarely.<br>"Yes, I do. I know about the Nesahla family. I know what happened to them. I know about the book. I know because I started the same way as you. With visions about the book, writing things in my sleep."

"Then you can tell me what it all means!" I stand up.  
>"No I can't." He shoves his hands back in his pockets.<br>"Why? How?"  
>"Because I need you to know what it all means." What? So he is saying he doesn't know what it means, but I can?<br>"Anyway, I've gotta go, I have things to do, and you have things to research" he smirks at me as he walks to the door and opens it.  
>"Hey, I still don't know your name."<br>"That's because I still haven't given it to you" he says without turning around. I watch him go and then shut my door. This is so frustrating.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

After the mystery guy leaves, I jump in the shower and sift through everything that has happened this morning. So he is the same as me, he has gone through the visions and he has also seen the book before. I just don't understand why he needs me to get his answers. If he has done all this he should already know. Why won't he even tell me his name? Vaguely I'm aware in some part of my mind that even though I don't really pay attention to him, he seems familiar. Do I know him? Have I just seen him around campus before? Once I'm dressed and my school things are packed, I head up to the cafeteria for breakfast.

I also realise that there is a good chance I could run into Max, and I'm dreading it. I just can't deal with him right now. No sooner as I'm out the door, I hear a voice calling my name.  
>"Vienna, Vienna wait!" I turn to see Max jogging up to me. Great. "Hey, sorry. I came to your door before but you didn't answer." He puts his hands on his knees to catch his breath.<br>"Oh, um, sorry I must have been in the shower when you came. Look Max, I can't talk right now, I'm heading over to get some breakfast and truthfully, I really don't want to talk right now."  
>"Wait, Ve, can I come with you?" His face is so desperate.<br>"Not today Max, I just need to be alone to think right now." I turn before he can answer and don't look back.

Waiting in line and all I can think about are the visions this morning.  
>How can he bring them on willingly? And why would I be having visions of the Nesahla home? It's obviously before the strigoi war happened and wiped out their family but I don't know why I'm seeing it. And the book, if the book is there, it must belong to the Nesahlas. I'm going to have to ask him next time he turns up and guaranteed, I will see him again.<p>

As if he could read my mind, I feel the need to look at one of the tables over in the far side of the cafeteria near the window and he is sitting there. He has a phone in one hand and eating a muffin from the other. He glances up at me, gives a slight wave and that signature smirk. That damn smirk, it's really annoying. I frown and turn back to grab my food. Now would be a great time for more answers, all these questions and no explanation is going to drive me insane.  
>Once I've piled my plate up with food, I turn to head over to join Mr Mysterious at his table but he is no longer sitting there. I look around and he's gone. Again. He has a habit of doing that. I sit at a table in the corner where I can clearly see the whole room, as well as making it easy to avoid Max but he doesn't show up for breakfast. I don't know whether to take that as a blessing or not.<p>

I don't see Mr Mysterious after his vanishing act so I just trudge into and out of classes like a robot. I really don't have the energy today.  
>Once I've been to the feeders – and having Alice which brings some normality back to my life – I decide to head back to my room so I can finish my family tree to hand it in.<p>

As I walk into my room and throw my bag on the floor, I notice Mr Mysterious laying on my bed. This guy is seriously giving me whiplash! Instantly I jump back and my heart beats out of control.  
>"Jesus! Oh my god. Can you not scare me like that!" He is just smiling like a damn Cheshire cat.<br>"Well hey there, nice of you to drop by." He lays his head back down and continues to stare at the roof.  
>"Actually you're in my room. God dammit, can't you wait till I get back and then, I don't know, knock like a normal person?!" I wave my hands around trying to get out my frustration and bring my rapidly beating heart back to normal. I sit back in my chair and try to calm myself. He sits up and puts his elbows on his knees and stares at me like I'm some sort of science project.<br>"Stop staring at me." He stares for a little moment longer and then sighs  
>"Just trying to read you." Read me?<br>"What do you want? By the way, I need something to call you other than 'mystery guy' since you won't tell me your name." he smirks at me again.  
>"Dave. Just call me Dave for now."<br>"For now?" I raise one eyebrow at him.  
>"Well, you gotta earn it to get my name round here princess." He stands up and walks around my dorm room.<br>"Don't call me that. Why are you here?" I'm still sitting in my chair and my pulse has slowed down to an almost normal speed.  
>"I told you, I want to help you"<br>"I know that, I mean why you are here? Like in my room right now, what do you want?" he glances back at me.  
>"Oh right, well I suspect you've got some questions yes? And just thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing." He comes to a lean against the wall opposite me and his deep blue eyes bore into my soul. I shuffle in my chair.<br>"What do you know about the book?" I ask and sit back in my chair and cross my arms. I'm doing that a lot lately. 

"Well, I know it belongs to the Nesahlas, I know it's at court, no I haven't opened it, no I have no idea how to open it or what closed it. Good enough for you?" he crosses his arms too. So it does belong to the Nesahlas. I narrow my eyes at him.  
>"Can you get into court?" he raises his eyebrows at my question and I have an idea he knows where I'm going with this. He nods a single nod and I no immediately what I want.<br>"Can you bring me the book?" I feel an urgent need to get the book. I have to have it. He stares for what seems like forever.  
>"What do you want the book for?" he asks. Oh I don't know Dave, because I just want the damn book. I feel my own surprise at my frustration rising as well as the burning need to get the book.<br>"Well you'll have to earn those answers won't you?" I throw his retort about his name back at him. He narrows his eyes and then straightens up from the wall.  
>"Fine. Yes I can get you the book." I let out a little breath I didn't know I was holding and come to stand in front of him as he looks down his nose at me.<br>"Good. You get me the book, I'll tell you what you want to know." He looks at me surprised. Yes I know you want something Dave. It's obvious by how curious you are about me and how he was so eager to take me back into the visions. I also remember his surprise at the voices coming through in the visions so I'm guessing he hasn't heard them before.  
>"Deal." He says and holds out his hand. I take it but before I can shake it I'm thrown into a vision, but he isn't here this time.<p>

I'm in a different house this time. It's around the same era but this house looks smaller, less extravagant. There is a man and woman standing beside a window looking over something that looks like an infant's cot. I walk over and notice that there is a child, around the age of 5 standing in front of what appears to be the mother. He has short black hair and bright blue eyes, he has a small birthmark on his shoulder that looks like an E and is slightly darker than his skin. They are both staring at the cot. I look over their shoulder and see two infants, no less than 6 months old, they must be twins. The twins both have the same blue – green eyes and dark hair. All at once I'm back in my room and am shaking Dave's hand but he is longer smiling but looking at me sincerely concerned.  
>"Hey, what happened? You ok?" he looks me over.<br>"Yeah, um, im fine." So he didn't have a vision either. "Um, anyway. Get me the book and I'll tell you everything you want to know." He looks back at me slightly confused.  
>"Sure, I'll get it to you." And then he is back to his sarcastic 'I win at life' attitude. And then he walks out the door.<p>

That was a really weird vision. I sigh and sit at my desk and try to gather my thoughts to finish this family tree. As I'm completing it I can't help but wonder what the first Vienna Markson looked like. I wonder if she looked like me, with dark long hair and bright eyes.

For the next few days everything is quiet. No visions. No voices. No writing in my sleep. I haven't seen Dave either, which I take as a sign that he's busy on his little mission. I think back to the moments I asked for the book and can't help but wonder how I got to desperate to get my hands on that book. Max has tried multiple times to talk to me but I just haven't been I the mood. I just wanted time by myself and to my own thoughts. Though today I just feel really lonely. I'm sitting in my chair and class hasn't started yet, I look up and see Max walking over in my direction. He glances at me so I wave him over to come sit next to me.  
>Right now, I could really use his company.<p>

He comes to sit next to me but hesitates for a moment. He looks at me sincerely.  
>"Do you mind if I sit?"<br>"Yeah, please." I give him a small smile and to my relief he returns it. "I'm sorry, for the way I've been acting, I just needed to be alone for abit, and your totally right about the stuff that's been going on, I mean I've probably just been dreaming it, it's all stupid and its stopped now."

"No, you don't nee…"  
>"No its ok, it was all stupid, I'm sorry" I really don't need or want to tell him what's been going on the last few days.<br>"It's okay," he looks doubtful, "I'm just glad you're talking to me again." He says.

Max spent the rest of the day with me and though he doesn't say much, it's like he's walking on eggshells around me. He doesn't mention the move he tried to make on me either.  
>I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. I mean, I overreacted to him kissing me, like a lot, I guess with all the stuff going on at that time I just exploded in that moment and projected it all on him. It wasnt that bad, it's not as if I haven't kissed him before and I've missed it. Not necessarily the bit where we were in a relationship but just physical contact like that.<br>As if he senses that he is the topic of my thoughts, Max turns to me just as we make it back to my room.

"Oh, about the kissing you thing, I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to, well I did, but I shouldn't have done it, not like I didn't want to kiss you or anything I did, like I miss you and everything but I mean with the everything we went through before and all the problems and stuff I understand why you reacted the way you did, I was totally out of line and it won't happen again. I mean not unless you don't want it to" he lets out a big breath at the end like he's trying to get air and I smile at him. He looks at me weirdly when I do.  
>"Well I didn't say I didn't want to do anything…" I say quietly and peek up at him from under my eyelashes. Without even realising what I'm doing I leap up and meet his lips with mine. We both stagger back a little. He catches his bearings and walks me backwards towards my open door.<br>I don't know what I'm doing but right now, all I know is that I really need Max close to me. We head into my room and shut the world away behind us.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

A few weeks pass without word from Dave and it's starting to stress me out. Did he get caught? Is he ok? Max and I have a…upstanding agreement of not being in a relationship, no feelings, nothing but the fun stuff. Right now, anything more would make my life even more complicated than it currently is, if that is even possible!  
>I've started doing some research on all the elements of magic. Since I haven't really specialised in air, how would I know that is my element? I mean, I haven't even tested to see if I can use any of the others.<br>I've borrowed some books on different specialisations and simple skills so that I can try.

Max doesn't know anymore than what I have already told him before I met Dave.  
>I cant risk informing him of the details that I have seen in the visons and the way I can, well learning to, control the visons and when I have them. I couldn't even think of mentioning what Dave and I are up to. What if he tells someone? I couldn't imagine what Max would say if he knew we were trying to 'borrow' the ancient book. I know how he is when he goes into one of his ramblings.<p>

"So," he says to me one morning, "Have you been doing any more research on this book and the visions? You were so invested in it before but now you've just stopped?" of course he is concerned.  
>"No, I kind of just gave up. It's probably just a phase, it could be my powers just flaring up into weird forms." I lie.<br>"Oh that sucks. Just when you were getting interesting" he smirks and I smack him on the chest and laugh.  
>"Hey, are you saying I'm not interesting?" I mock shock.<br>"Oh, trust me, you are so interesting." The rest of the conversation is cut off by our kissing.

And so that's how half of our days were spent. Max repeating the same questions and I come up with ways to try to dodge them.

Sitting in history class, my eyes are directed to the front but my focus is elsewhere. I'm starting to become more than worried about Dave. What's taking him so long? I know it's some big popular book and is in the most secured Moroi place in the world but come on, how hard can it be. I'm tapping my pen furiously against my work and I hear something about a book being mentioned and this time I really do pay attention.

"The book of magic can tell you…" Never mind. Wrong book. Though I wonder how much more information he would have on the Nesahla book and if he knows about families being wiped out in the Strigoi wars. I'll have to ask. Beside me Max is working on his family tree to get it done the end of class so he can hand it in. I handed mine in today too which is a load off my shoulders now one of my assignments are finished. I smile at his face, he has such a cute confrontation face. His eyebrows burrowed and his bottom lip sucked in. he has his head tilted a fair way down as he scribbles on his page.

Just as the class ends, I tell Max ill meet him outside after I speak to the teacher about the family tree assignment.  
>"Excuse me sir, I just have a few questions about one of the classes a few weeks ago."<br>He looks up at my approach with a surprised look on his face.  
>"Of course, which topic exactly?"<br>"Um, it was one about a book, I don't know what it's called but it was found during the Strigoi wars and hasn't been opened" I say nervously. He nods and I continue. "I was just wondering if you had any more information on it, I'm just really interested and I can't remember much about the lecture." He raises his eyebrows.  
>"Well sure, I can give you what I have but it isn't much, as I said, there isn't much information on this book." He says doubtfully.<br>"No that's ok, I'll take what I can get, thank you." We agree that he will gather the information and give it to me next time we have history. I thank him and run to catch up to Max.

Waiting in line at the feeders it seems like Ive been standing here forever. People always seem to take longer when I'm here. A few seats in front of me sits Lissa Dragomir. I start to wonder about her. She is definitely a character though but what flits through my mind is her magic element. No one really knows. She somehow gets out of every class except theory. I wonder if she has different powers…maybe like mine. I just stare at her and see if anything happens. And it doesn't. I don't know why I brother trying stuff like that, it never works. Actually nothing has happened in the last week or two, maybe it really has stopped.  
>I look back at Lissa when her name is called. I can't help but think about which element she has specialised in but she is the Dragomir Princess and its highly unlikely that she will be open to discussing that information with a non-royal.<p>

Max and I decide to spend the afternoon together watching movies. This time its my choice so it's none of his fangirl movies. We snuggle up together and his fingers move rhythmically against my knuckles, it's really calming. I almost fall asleep, but as I close my eyes I hear a slight whisper in the corner of the room. I open my eyes and look around the room but I can't see anything. I hear it again but slightly louder and I sit up. Max looks startled.  
>"Hey, you alright?"<br>"Sh," I hold my hand up, I hear it again and it keeps getting louder. "Can you hear that?" I stand up just as Max replied a gentle "No" and walk around the room.  
>"Ve, what wrong?"<br>"It's the whispering, its back, can't you hear it?" I should know by now that no one else besides me can hear it. Well except Dave. As it gets louder and louder, it starts to grate against my ears. I try to clamp my hands over my ears to shut it out.  
>"Ve, are you ok?" he comes to walk over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders.<br>"Ve talk to me, what's wrong?"  
>I sink to the ground and whimper at the pain its suddenly starting to cause me. It's never been this loud before.<p>

"No, it hurts, Max make it stop, please" I struggle to stand up, the pain is too much so I remain on the ground on my knees and hunch over until im almost in the foetal position.  
>The vibration against my ear drums is becoming so bad that I just want to scream. I don't understand what words are being whispered, I can't hear them clearly, maybe because I'm so focused on the increasing pain. It just wont stop and I wonder how long it take before my ears explode.<p>

It continues to get louder and louder until I start to cry. Make it stop, please please just make it stop! I hear something crack in the background and Max takes a step back away from me, though I hardly notice the movement, I'm just trying to block the whole world out. Still hunched over and crying, slowly the whispers dissipate, the grating on my ears ease to a gentle hum as the whispers finally fade out.  
>I'm aware that Max is no longer standing next to me, something has caught his attention.<br>I try to focus to slow my breathing between sobs and catch my bearings. In between taking deep breaths, I manage to sit up. I look over at Max who is now staring at the TV.  
>Testing my balance, I successfully stand up and walk slowly over to the sink. My throat is dry and sore like I have swallowed razorblades. My head is still pounding slightly and Im sure that I have bruises on my temples where I gripped my head to keep it from exploding.<br>A glass of water does little to soothe the pain caused within the last few minutes but this isn't my main concern right now.

"Hey Ve, you might want to come look at this." Max beckons me over to witness what has his full attention and this time its not me that has his interest.  
>We stand side by side in front of the TV. It's broken and I'm not talking a single crack.<br>The TV is completely shattered. Glass shards poke out of the carpet and some are still hanging on sides on the TV. "I'm guessing you didn't do this." I shake my head and looked blankly at Max.  
>"So it's all stopped hey?" he asks. I didn't even reply, I just stood there shocked.<br>I share his concern but neither of us have any idea what just happened. Max walks me back to my room while mentioning that he will take care of the TV.

The next morning Max shows up at my door to accompany me to breakfast.  
>For some reason, he is in a particularly good mood.<br>"So you did you take care of…" I began to question.  
>"Hey, nope, you don't need to worry about that, just worry about what you're going to have for breakfast." God he is so weird sometimes.<p>

I thank the heavens that no one shows up during the day to ask me about what occurred,  
>so I take that as a good sign. When I reach my history class, as promised, my teacher hands me all the information that he has on the book. Maybe there is something in here that can explain what it has to do with the Nesahlas. For some reason I can't seem to concentrate in any of my classes today and I'm so exhausted. Those damn whispers left me with a headache I just cant shake.<p>

As if they were summoned, they start again in my head, but they remain at a much lower level this time. However, I notice this time its different. There is a few more sentences so I try to concentrate on each of them. The voices are different. It's in English this time.  
>"<em>I am protected by your might,<br>O gracious Goddess, day and night  
>Thrice around the circle's bound,<br>Evil sink into the ground."  
><em>I quickly find a blank page and scribble down the words as the repeat in my head. I'm surprised that the language has changed but it makes it easier to understand.  
>Just as I finish writing down the first chant, a second comes through.<br>"_With this pentagram, I do lay  
>Protection here both night and day<br>and to the one who should not touch  
>let the fingers burn and twitch.<br>I now invoke the law of three:  
>this is my will, so mote it be."<br>_I scribble down those words as well. I still don't know what they mean, though I do know it's a female voice chanting them. A third comes through, and this verse is more prominent then the others.  
><em>"With this ripe I bind thine power,<br>to be mind for second or hour  
>to make me strong when I am weak<br>to give me wisdom that I seek  
>to give me courage as not to flee.<br>Thine will be done, so mot it be"  
><em> 

After the third, the chanting whispers stop. It doesn't fade out, it just stops abruptly and I'm left staring at the page with the three paragraphs. The first paragraph sounds like something to do with protection, the second might be a sealing chant, or to hide something.  
>The third sounds like something one might say to give themselves courage, wisdom and strength. I've never heard any of these before nor do I know what they mean. I turn my pages back to the schoolwork and hope Max hasn't seen me furiously writing random words in my book. I sneak a sideways glance at him and luckily he still has his head shoved in his book taking notes.<p>

After class, I rush back to my room and type in the paragraphs from class today. The first one comes up as a protection enchantment. The second is to protect an object from prying eyes, and the third is a spell to give one wisdom, strength and courage. So I was right. I continue my research a little more to see if I can get any more information but the only thing I find is that these are all Pagan Enchantments. Why would I be hearing Pagan Enchantments?


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12.**

After researching the Pagan religion for hours but finding myself more confused than when I started, I gave up and head to bed.

I don't understand what Paganism would have to do with these visions of the Nesahla family. It hardly says anything about witchcraft – which was a stupid theory anyway – nor did I find out if it had anything to do with the Moroi world. God this whole thing is so confusing, why did it have to happen to me?

I close my eyes and think about tomorrow. Tomorrow is the queen's banquet and now that I'm no longer on suspension, Im required to attend. Fabulous. Sitting with a bunch of royals as well as the queen, listening to their boring conversation and even worse, the royal bitching and moaning about how hard the Strigoi are making their life. I would rather watch paint dry. Luckily Max has offered me a good distraction from it later.

The morning got off to a bad start. I hardly had any sleep, which made concentrating in class all the more harder, although halfway through class with Mr Nagy, things got interesting.  
>"Excuse me, Mr Nagy? I can't really concentrate with Lissa and Rose passing notes over there."<br>This was when the whole class got excited. Mr Nagy was legendary for his ability to humiliate students by reading notes aloud, if he caught anyone passing them. With a slight raise of his eyebrows he was up to Rose and Lissas desk in a nanosecond. The whole class straightened up, ready for the humiliation to start. Little did we know, how much humiliation would happen, or how much information we would get. Apparently Jesse – snobby royal – and Rose were caught getting hot and heavy in one of the lounges by Guardian Belikov. Well how about that. For the rest of class, everyone was snickering and glancing between Rose and Jesse, who I wasn't sure if he was proud of his achievement with a Dhampir, or slightly embarrassed. Maybe both. It was probably the most interesting thing to happen all day. Everyone else thought so too. People were sharing whispers and sneaking glances whenever Jesse or Rose were around.

When the queen's banquet finally arrived that night, Max showed up at my door to accompany to the banquet hall. He was smartly dressed in tight black jeans and a blue sweater and it looked good on him. His hair was slightly ruffled and still damp around the edges from his shower. I however, was dressed in a neat pair of jeans and the most girlish top I could find, which was red with little ruffles on the shoulders.  
>I had tied my hair back in to what I thought was a presentable bun with a bit of added makeup just for extra measure. At least Max looked impressed.<br>I knew that once we were in the hall, no one would notice us. No one ever did.  
>It was a big get together I'll say that, they made it look as regel as they could considering the queen would be dining here tonight. I have to laugh at the tables being lined with blood red tablecloths. How ironic. Are they trying to remind us that we are all Vampires? Because I'm pretty sure we all got the memo. Like when we were born. With fangs.<p>

All the Royals were to be seated at tables in close quarters to the Queens table, then the non-royals at tables slightly further away, followed by the novices at the tables that marked the edge of the room.  
>Guardians lined the wall, looking stoic as there job description required.<br>After all the royal moroi families had taken their seats, four guardians with red dots on their jackets entered indicating the entrance of our Queen. We all sank to our knees as a mark of respect except the guardians along the wall of course, didn't move a muscle.  
>I don't get this part. You'd think being elected queen and ruling the entire MoroiDhampir world would be enough to show you were important. As protocol states, we all had to go to take position on our knees, like some stupid followers bowing to their leader in one of Max's movies he obsessed about. Once Queen Tatiana had entered we all waited what we thought was a respectable amount of time and then stood back up.  
>The Queen herself, looking as royal as ever, was wearing a red silk gown with a jacket to match. Do these people have an obsession with red or something? She had dark grey hair that sat above her shoulders in a tight bob and atop her head sat a crown. I was over this banquet already. Now I just want to go back to my room.<p>

After her royal majesty passed through the Dhampir section – fairly quickly might I add – she strolled through the Moroi section and actually paused to talk to a few people. Their heads got bigger too. Being recognised by the Queen was a fairly big deal. She passed where Max and I sat without a glance and shifted her attention to the Royals.  
>I turned to Max.<br>"Any chance we can just bail now?" I said pleadingly to him.  
>"I wish," he said with a small smile "But we have to sit through it, then we can bail and do whatever we want" he reached down and grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly before letting it drop back to my side.<br>"Vasilisa Dragomir" The queen's voice wailed through the room and we all looked to where the queen stood in front of Princess Dragomir.  
>"We heard you had returned. We are glad to have the Dragomirs back, even though only one remains." That, was an interesting story that everyone knew about. Lissa Dragomir is the only one left in her bloodline. Her family has been slowly dying over time and her family was the only ones left. Then two years ago, before they went MIA, her parents and her brother died in a car crash and she is now the only Dragomir left. Quiet tragic if you ask me.<br>The queen continued her little Royal ramblings with the princess but I hardly paid attention, that was, until the conversation took an unexpected turn. Well, not so unexpected really.

"Yes, you are doubly named with power. Your name represent the finest qualities people have to offer and hearken back in time to deeds of greatness and valour" she paused for a second. Everyone was holding their breath, wondering what the queen would say. "But, as you have demonstrated, names do not make a person. Nor do they have any bearing on how that person turns out." There was an audible gasp in the room that was dead silent. After admiring her handiwork on the princess, Tatiana continued as if she didn't just slam of her people's most important family.

After the initial course of dinner, I saw Lissa rush out the door. My focus moved on to another figure that appeared as the Princess departed. Dave. He's back.  
>I motion to Max that I'll be right back and quickly head for the door.<br>A cold breeze flows over me as I look around to see where he went. As I'm walking around the corner I hear the door open again. Just as I round a corner, the Princess and Natalie Dashkov appear to be deep in conversation.

I quickly hide behind the bushes as yet other person approaches. Another female heads around the corner and stalks over to the princess. Rose. She reaches the girls and Rose is talking furiously. I few moments later Natalie leaves, leaving behind the two friends, Rose Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir. Taking my focus away from their conversation, I thought I saw a shadow lurking around the building next to me. I glance sideways to get a better view but the image is unclear. I squint and try to focus again, the shadow takes form and I realise its Dave. Looking back at the girls again, I try to tiptoe back to where Dave is standing without drawing any attention. Once I reach him, he tugs me into a dark corner where I immediately interrogate him.

"Where the hell have you been? It's been weeks! You could have at least sent through some sort of message that you were ok! I thought you got caught or something!" I hit him on the chest, just so he gets my point. He just leans against the wall, looks down his nose at me and with a smirk, shoves his hands in his pocket. I cast a quick glance around to make sure no one is eavesdropping.  
>"Nice to know you're concerned" he says with comfortable ease.<br>"This isn't a joke! What the hell have to been doing all this time? Do you have the book?" his smirk falters a little.

"Easy there sweetheart, I've got my sources on it. Getting something like this isn't as easy as it seems. I'm just here to check in. so you don't go all 5 alarm worry that I might be dead. Though clearly you crossed that threshold" he says with a smile.  
>Just then I hear someone calling out my name. Shit. The moment I turn away from Dave, Max comes around the side of the building and heads in my direction.<br>"Oh hey, sorry, I was looking for you, you were taking a while I just wanted to make sure you're ok" he says, sincerely concerned. I turn around to look at Dave, but he isn't there.

"Um, yea, I was just feeling sick and had to get some air." I say as I take his hand and lead him back toward the banquet.  
>"Hey, we don't have to go back in there you know." He looks at me knowingly and I smile back at him.<br>"Well I suppose we could have a little fun somewhere else?" his eyes darken slightly.  
>"Damn right we can" he holds onto my hand a little harder and I feel his ring dig into my finger. His ring is just a silver metal plate with blue and green stones embedded into one side. Something about silver flits through my head and I try to remember what it is.<p>

Charms? Yes, I done some research about using silver to make elemental charms.  
>"Hey, your ring is made of silver isn't it?" I ask quietly. He raises his eyebrows at my question.<br>"Yeah it is, why?"  
>"Oh, I was just wondering" I give his hand another squeeze to try and distract him from asking anymore questions.<p>

I wonder if I can make charms. I don't have a silver jewellery, only a gold plated pendant my mum bought me for my 13th birthday which now is all tarnished.  
>I don't know how else I can get hold of silver but I figure I might have to tell Max about the charms, just so he will let me use his ring. I mean, I don't have to tell him about the visions, just enough to make him think that I'm doing research on magic. Hopefully it shouldn't raise too many questions.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13.**

After completing what seems like hours practicing with air magic, I decide I'm going to attempt to seal a book with air. Together with the charm that has been cast on Max's ring, hopefully, whoever possesses the ring will be able to open the book.  
>Although this is a long shot as my magic capability is the equivalent to that of a two year old.<p>

It's been several days since I last saw Dave, after seeing the incident with Vasilisa and Rose outside the Queens banquet, I had left with Max and didn't return.  
>I've gone through all the information my teacher had lent me on the Nesahla book, but it hadn't informed me of anything I didn't already know so I thought I would try something different today. At the moment, Max is being the poster boy for supportive friend and I know the outcome of this experiment will be anything but 'successfully completed'.<br>I've also recruited Max to help me to see if I can use any of the other elements, today I decided to work with one element, air.

Sitting in my dorm room holding the charmed ring and one of my schoolbooks, I look across from my position on the bed and gaze at Max, sitting in the computer chair.  
>This is going to be complicated but I hope he will understand that I need to try this, try anything before the voices, the half filled jigsaw puzzle in my head drive me crazy. I wouldn't ever intentionally hurt Max, so I'm crossing my fingers that this simply either works or not. I pretty sure he won't swell up like a balloon full of air when he puts the ring on.<p>

At this point I'm confident that I will have to cast the spell on the book and the ring simultaneously so I can bind the ring to the book. Focusing on the ring held tight in my hand, I found myself just staring at the book when Max suddenly breaks the silence.  
>"Any time now. Just take your time. No need to rush."<p>

"Shut up, Max. I'm trying to concentrate. If you prefer that I cast this spell on the cover of the book and not your lips, I would be deadly quiet right now " I say through gritted teeth.  
>I take a deep breath and close my eyes as I can almost feel myself pulling the magic into me.<p>

After only a few seconds, I feel the rush of the magic, like the soft beat of light flow through me. This has to be one of the best feelings I've ever had, besides the high of sweet fresh blood after a week of starving.

It feels happiness and the warmth of a summers evening resonating through my veins as I focus on moving the magic from my fingers through to the book and the ring. I sense the book being compressed under the weight of something heavy. I imagine the book being sealed as the air flows over it, all around it, at the same time. Again, I pull some magic out through my other hand holding the ring.  
>I imagine the ring triggering relief for the book, the ring providing an escape for the air trapped around the book and protection for those who wear it.<p>

I concentrate on both items, alternating between the book and ring as I keep the flow of magic moving and surrounding them. After what I think is a reasonable amount of time, I let go of the magic and just hoped it was enough.

I looked over at Max wondering if he could see the hope behind the tiredness in my eyes, I walk over to him and place the ring in his hand. Since I was the one that charmed it, it wouldn't work on me. Although before he puts the ring on his finger, I ask him to attempt to open the book first.  
>I can finally see if this is how the Nesahla book was sealed. If this is how it was done, I'm sure I would be able to open the book so many have failed at trying. I would just have to find the object that it was bound to. I question the possibility that the magic on the object would fade over time. Though considering the book is still sealed I suspect that it might stay charmed so long as the book stays closed. I don't know. So many little things run through my head. I'm just nervous to see what happens.<p>

Max leans forward to open the book; we both inhale a deep breath and forget to exhale when it opens.  
>I sigh heavily and fall back on the bed. I cover my eyes with my hands and tense my body as frustration flows through me. Why won't it work? I hear Max give a small sigh and I peek up at him from under my hands.<br>"Hey, its ok, it's your first time trying, you'll get it eventually." No I won't Max, dammit, why am I having these stupid visions about this damned book?

If I can't succeed at replicating how it was once sealed, how am I going to be able to open the damn thing!  
>I sit back up with my head in my hands and look between the two objects. What did I do wrong? I felt the magic of air go through me, around the book and right into the ring but it didn't work. Maybe the Nesahla book isn't sealed with air. What could it be then?<p>

"Maybe I can try again." Max gives a nod and I prepare myself for another round.  
>I sit up straight and start again. I feel the magic build up and again I send it through to the objects I hold in my hands. I feel the exact same as I did before so my hope disappears momentarily. Still concentrating on the magic and the objects, I hold onto the magic for a moment longer and then let it go. I look at Max hopefully and he goes to open the book while still not wearing the ring.<br>For a second time, it opens.

"God dammit!" I throw my hands up in frustration. "I give up, I can't do it. This is so stupid."  
>"Hey, you're only just starting, you'll get It eventually, maybe if you try something easier?" he says attempting to save what little confidence I have left in my magic abilities.<p>

I shake my head at him. I don't want to try anything easier because I want to know how that damned book is sealed. I feel a small vibration flit through my head and I know what's coming. The image of Max and my room fades into the image of a house I've been in before.

The Nesahla house. I haven't had a vision for a while now so it throws me off slightly.  
>The house is clean and tidy. No sign of destruction. I think back what Dave taught me about taking in the smallest details, about desperately wanting to know about the past and most importantly, somehow this was about me.<p>

All of a sudden I hear whispers coming from beside me. I turn around and head in their direction. I arrive at the library and as I walk up to the door I notice a gap, like the door hasn't been shut properly. Out of curiosity, I push open the door a little further until a man and woman come into view. I don't recognise the couple because their backs are turned to me. The man has a fairly solid frame to go with his height; he has short black hair and appears to reading a book. The woman, who stands close beside him, is looking deep in thought at the same book. The woman, who has long black hair that falls to her mid back, turns slightly and I see can that she is heavily pregnant.  
>The man flips through a few more pages and glances up at the woman.<br>"What about this name? Vien…"

The rest of the sentence is cut off as I'm thrown out of the vision and back into reality.  
>Max is kneeling on the bed in front of me looking at me, desperately concerned.<br>"No, no no no no." I bring my hands to my head. No, why did I have to leave! I needed to know the name! It sounds like they were about to say Vienna but I didn't hear the rest of it.  
>"Ve, are you ok? What happened?"<p>

I ignore Max's pleas and play through the last few moments back in my head.  
>Right before I was flung out of the vision I realised that indeed it was the couple that I had witnessed in previous times. I'm sure the woman's name was Louella but man's name escaped me. They were both Nesahlas.<br>If they were going to name their daughter Vienna, could she be the first Vienna? The child that had been adopted out, around the same time the Nesahla family was killed?  
>It has to be her.<p>

"I assure you Max I'm fine" I can't look him in the eye after yet another vision had created even more questions. I avoided answering any more questions as I vaguely explain to him what just happened. It's all a lie. I tell him I just froze for a moment, like the magic was too much. With an extremely concerned look, Max stands up to leave. "Its ok Ve, you probably need some rest and then some dinner. I'll come by later and we can grab a bite to eat, ok?"  
>I just smiled up at him and nodded softly.<br>"Don't worry too much, you will eventually get the hang of it and next thing I know you will be running around sealing peoples lockers shut just for a laugh!"  
>Max closed the door behind as he left, leaving me to my thoughts.<p>

It made me feel worse that he was so worried and I wasn't telling him the truth but I just couldn't risk it. Thinking about Max a little more sends a shiver through my entire body and a flutter in my stomach. Oh great. Here come the feelings again. Could my life be any more complicated right now? I said I wouldn't get feelings again for Max and here I am, with butterflies in the stomach.  
>Though I must admit, I've missed feeling this way. I quickly shove those feelings down, telling myself ill deal with them later. I just have to get through all this stuff with the Nesahlas first.<p>

I flounce back onto the bed sifting through the information I have from the visions as well as my complete failure at trying to seal my schoolbook. I don't know why it didn't work. Maybe it's because the amount of air I can actually use is pretty low. I remember I was going to try and use the other elements. Maybe it was a different element used for this cast.  
>Though I can't seem to fully understand why, I have a feeling that none of the elements were used to conceal the contents of that book.<p>

While I'm distracted through my thoughts, I hear a knock at the door. It isn't dinnertime yet Max, go away. I get up ready to face Max, but when I open it, its Dave that stands in front of me.  
>He saunters in, like he owns the place and sits on the edge of my bed.<br>Neither of us speaks for a moment, but its Dave that decides to break the awkward silence between us.

"Hey princess, just thought id check up on you, you know, see how you're doing, making sure you haven't gone insane or killed anyone yet." He says all of it with ease and smirks at me. He also has a fascination with calling me princess. It really gets irritating.  
>"Stop, calling me, Princess." I yell at him.<br>"No I haven't killed anyone yet, but you may be the first on my list if you don't tell me what's going on with your 'sources' getting that book for me." I brush my hands through my hair. Dave's appearance has done nothing to calm my frustrations.  
>He gives me a weird look then returns to his trademark smile.<p>

"All in good time. So have you had any visions lately?" he gives me a knowing look, like he already knows what happened in my room not so long ago.  
>I narrow my eyes at him.<br>"Yes, I did. Though it sounds like you already knew that." Still wearing his smirk, he replied  
>"Nope, just a calculated guess, really. That, and you looked all rattled so I could tell something happened. Feel like telling me about it?" even though he is still smirking at me, I detect a little sincerity in that last sentence.<p>

"How about you tell me something first. Why you have a fascination with me, and how did you find me." I'm not in the mood to get back into a conversation about visions right now.

"Well, here's a deal, I'll tell you something, you tell me what happened, yeah?" I nod and he continues. "Well, I was enjoying my lunch one afternoon and…" I sigh and glare at him, "Ease up, I'm getting there. Anyway, I was halfway through eating a hamburger, which was very good might I add, when I had a slight tingle in my head, like you do, and then I went into a vision. Might I add that this was the first one I didn't have control over by the way. So it surprised me then, when I saw you. You were walking out some sort of room with a lot of people but you were alone. You suddenly froze and you had a vision.  
>I didn't see exactly what it was but enough information came through that I could make out your name, where you were and felt a burning need to find you. So here I am. Now your turn." My first vision, outside the feeders, is that was he was talking about? I return his favour and give him information.<p>

"Well, I was back at the Nesahla house with the same man and woman. It looked like she was pregnant and they were looking at a book of baby names. I didn't get to hear the whole thing but it seriously, it sounded like they were going to name their kid Vienna." I laugh, it sounds so ridiculous when I play back the vision. My laugh quickly fades when I see Dave's face. He looks completely and utterly shocked.

"The first Vienna Markson. Oh my god why didn't I see it?" He stands up and starts pacing around the room.  
>"What on earth are you talking about?" Suddenly none of this is funny anymore and serious look on Dave's face is starting to make me feel very nervous.<br>He keeps pacing, mumbling words, as if stringing together the information.  
>"Hey, what's wrong? Why didn't you see what?" he paces for a few more minutes and then stands about three paces away from me and stares at me, mouth open and utterly dumbfounded.<br>"Your one of them too."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14.**

"One of what? What are you talking about?"  
>Dave still stood a meter away from me and stared. He looks me up and down like he's seeing a new person.<br>"Dave, I am one of what? Tell me!" His eyes find mine again.  
>"Your one of them. You're a Nesahla."<p>

Excuse me, what? I stand, feet rooted to ground. It feels like an atomic bomb has gone off but I just stop and stare.  
>"No, no I'm not. I think I'd know if I was one of them. I'd know." I turn away from him.<br>"Id know, id know if I was a Nesahla, id know." I whisper. I feel seconds away from hysterics.  
>"Think about it Vienna." Out of nowhere, his stern voice is back, like it was when we were in the visions telling me to concentrate on the details. At least one of us has their bearings back.<br>"Think about the visions, why would they show you them if you weren't one" What does he mean they?  
>As he says it all, all the pieces come together. I look like them. Louella, the woman in my visions, she had long, black hair and bluish green eyes. It makes sense why I would feel so connected to the history I'm shown in the visions. What about the book?<br>"What's all this got to do with the book? I mean, most of my visions are about the book." I gape at him. I can feel myself slowly derailing into hysterics.  
>"I don't know, I don't know that part yet," he walks over and grabs my shoulders, "Hey, calm down, this is new information, you'll be fine. We can figure it all out but you have to make sure no one knows about this, Vienna, or you will be killed."<br>He stares at me levelly at that last part.

"Killed?! Why the hell would I be killed for having a different last name?! No, no no, this isn't happening, it's not real" I sit back on the bed and bring my knees to my chest. I close my eyes, this is all a dream. It has to be. When I open my eyes again, the scene hasn't changed though Dave is now kneeling in front of me.  
>"Because of the History, it goes long before the people you see in visions, which is what you need to understand." I see the pleading in his eyes.<p>

"What about my parents? I mean if were all from the first Vienna Markson, they must be related to her as well?"

"That's the part I don't understand yet. These sort of powers only manifest in some people, some are direct relatives, some aren't." He places his fingers over the bridge of his nose like he is trying to think this through.  
>Direct relatives? I guess Im not the only one that is trying to wrap my head around this new information.<p>

"What do you mean direct relatives? If I am, my parents have to be as well." I'm chewing on my bottom lip and at this stage I taste a slight tang in my mouth, indicating I've drawn blood.  
>"Only one of your parents are. Or maybe neither of them are." He pauses for a moment, "Is there any chance, ""He says slowly, like he's trying to catch a stray cat, "That you could be adopted?" No, no there isn't. I'm not adopted. No, I can't be. This is impossible. But as those things run through my head, so do other details.<p>

How I look nothing like my parents, I never got any of their traits. I look at hands and find them shaking. This is too much information to process. Dave is still kneeling in front of me and looks legitimately concerned.  
>Something floats through my mind, how would he know all of this?<br>I look back to him.  
>"How do you know all of this? About the powers, and the relatives and the first Vienna. How do you know?"<br>He smirks at me. "All in good time"  
>"God dammit! Can you just tell me and stop with your mysterious avoiding tactics and tell me who you are and how you know all this!" I'm screaming at this point. I can't help myself.<p>

"Not yet, I can't tell you yet. I still need information and until I get it, I can't tell you who I am. You will eventually know, just not yet." He says. I sigh and put my head down into the space where my arms are crossed. Before I even have a chance to think, I feel a hot tear fall down onto my hands. I sniffle.

I hear Dave stand up, then the bed dips. I feel his arm around my shoulder, pulling me to him. I let myself fall into him and he cradles me as more fresh tears fall. I can't deal with all this right now. I close my eyes and try to control my sobs. It's all so overwhelming. He strokes my hair to soothe me and it does slightly. I feel comfortable with him. I sniffle again and he leans his chin on my head.

We sit like this for a while until I can control my breathing and I've stopped crying. I almost fall asleep and It isn't until he moves slightly that I open my eyes. He sits me up and holds my shoulders.  
>"Are you ok? I've got to go but I want to make sure you're ok before I go."<br>He looks at me, trying to access how I'm feeling. I do the same. I'm ok, I guess. I mean I have so much information to process. I have to ask my parents if I'm adopted, though I dread it. Moroi adoptions are so rare.

I nod and he still stares at me for a moment, as if he is double checking or giving me a chance to change my mind.  
>"I'm ok, I just need to think for a while."<br>Dave gives a small nod and stands up, opening his arm for a hug. I stand up and fold into his chest. I close my eyes for a brief second and sit back on my bed as he walks out the door. He gives me one last glance and quietly shuts the door.  
>As soon as he is gone, I feel a tightness in my throat. But it's not because I need to cry, it's because of the thought that my parents may not really be mine. That someone gave me up.<br>I sleep for a good portion of the day, luckily it's the weekend. Everything that has happened has just exhausted me. Its only when I hear Max's voice at the door, do I crawl out of my bed. I open the door and see Max's cheery face, though it drops when he sees my face.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong? Are you ok?" he quickly comes in, shuts the door, and embraces me in a tight hug. I breathe his familiar smell. Like Lavender mixed with some spice.  
>"It's just been a long day. I miss my family." Of course he knows that is a complete lie, he knows I hardly miss my family besides mum. He looks down at me but doesn't press me for answers.<br>"You weren't out at lunch and I was worried. We were supposed to be practicing different magic elements afterwards, so when you didn't show up I knew something was wrong." He gives me a small smile. Shit, I forgot about that.  
>"Crap, I'm sorry, I forgot. Do you still want to practice?" I say hopefully. I need a distraction.<br>"Are you sure you want to? I mean I'm up for it." He searches through my eyes for any shred of doubt. Though there isn't any, I need something to do. I nod and I gather my things and we head to a spot on the quad where we can't be seen.

There aren't many people around campus because it's the weekend, it's all sleep ins and movies.  
>"So what element do you want to try? Fire might be pretty dangerous, I mean, I know you might not even be able to do it, but if you can, it might like set fire to something, you know? Like that's not something I think either of us can deal with right now, though water might be a good one, so would earth, water might be easy, but it's completely up to you." I smile at his ramblings and he gives one back.<p>

"Water is probably a good idea. Wouldn't want to set your hair on fire now would we." I smirk, great now I'm doing it, and run a hand through his hair and rough it up. He tries to stop me by tickling me, I laugh and fall to the ground in a fit. I haven't been tickled in a long time. By the time I beg him to stop, I'm laughing uncontrollably and trying to catch my breath.

"There it is," he says will a grin, "I missed that laugh." He leans over and kisses me on the forehead just as I finally have my laughing under control. He tucks a stray piece of my hair behind my ear. Then he is down to business.  
>From his bag, he gets out a water bottle and fills it up from the fountain opposite us before returning to me. He sets the bottle down then looks at me expectantly and I nod.<br>Ok. Time to give this a try.

I concentrate on the water, trying to summon the magic that controls it. After a few moments, I feel some heat rush through my head I quickly try to expel it towards to water bottle. I take a deep breath and let it out. Without quite entirely seeing it, a bout of steam rises out from the top of the water bottle. I gape at it. Did I really do that?

I slowly turn my head toward Max, who is staring at the bottle. He picks it up and examines it. When his hands touch it, he gives a slight gasp. He looks to me and hands over the bottle. As soon as I touch it I understand his reaction. The bottle is warm. Like it's just been heated. I look back to Max.  
>"Did I, um, I, did I, do that?" I stutter.<br>"Well it wasn't me." He says, completely stunned. I let out a small laugh. I did it. I can use another elements. Maybe air isn't mine. "Wait, did you use water to do that, or fire? Cause fire can heat it too." Victory over. My smile drops and I set the bottle down.  
>"I don't know, I mean I felt some sort of magic come through but I don't know what it was."<p>

"Hey, you still did it, you used another element, that's huge Ve." I scoot over and Max wraps his arms around me.  
>"I guess."<br>"It's a small victory for today. You'll get it eventually, I mean this is your first time trying. Who knows, soon you'll be creating oceans or starting a bushfire" he laughs, "who knows. Just be patient." He kisses my forehead again. A small victory for today.

Because I'm completely exhausted, we pack everything up and he walks me back to my room. Max is rambling on about something but I don't pay attention. I have other matters going through my head. The stuff about adoption. If anyone can give me answers for those, it's my parents. When we reach my room, Max leaves me to attend to some errands, of course not without leaving me with a soft kiss. When he is gone, I saunter over to the computer. Even though I should ask in person, that isn't an option right now.  
>I open my email and type it out in simple words so my father can't twist my words to avoid an answer like he usually does.<p>

"_Am I adopted?"_

Its just three simple words. I immediately hit send so I don't have a chance to rethink it. I need answers but then I run through what his answer might be. Yes, you are adopted, your real parents didn't love you enough so they gave you up. No, you're are not adopted, you are my one and only daughter. It could be anything but I also fear, would they tell me the truth?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

I haven't heard anything from my father yet and already it's been two days, I'd like to say it hasn't worried me, but that would be a lie. Right now, I have more things running through my head so I don't have time to concentrate on family issues, I guess this is a problem for another day.

To start off with, if Dave new about the first Vienna Markson then why didn't he know that I could be related? How does Dave know about all this? Is he one too? That is a real possibility and it would make sense if he was, I mean, he had dark, dark hair and blue eyes. Like the Nesahlas I've seen. I have to ask him when I see him next. He kind of vanished into thin air since the last time I seen him.

Besides going to class and to the feeders, I haven't really left my room. I just have so many questions. The morning has disappeared, so the rest of my day is spent in my room, mulling over the questions and trying to string pieces together but it isn't working. If the Markson family came from the first Vienna, wouldn't we all technically be related? No of course we wouldn't. I keep forgetting she was adopted so she isn't really a Markson, she just took on the name. And the family that adopted her probably had other children too. It's so complicated. How many children did Vienna have? Where those the three kids I seen a while ago? So many questions. No answers.

I lay in bed for a good portion of the night, wide awake, trying to string it all together.  
>What if I'm not adopted, then one of my parents has to be a direct relative to Vienna Markson?<br>Though it has to be my dad considering he has the Markson name and if it's from him, he must be a Nesahla too. So my father and I could be traced back to one of Viennas children, instead of a child from the real Markson family. If I go by my visions, she had three children, so my line could be traced back to any one of them.

What I don't get is why only I have these sort of powers and my father doesn't. Dave has them too. He must be a relative. I mean, like he said, it could only manifest in some people. So why me?

I try to calm my racing mind and get some sleep. If I want answers from Dave I'm going to need all the sleep I can get.

I wake up with bleary eyes, looking around I realise I actually fell asleep.  
>Someone is knocking at my door. With all of last night's questions pouring through my head I realise it might be Dave and scramble for the door. And as luck may have it, his smirking face is leaning against my door. I quickly put on my stern, I want answers face, and pull him into my room.<br>"Hey there, calm down" he says with a little laugh.  
>I turn back to him and cross my arms. He sighs, throws his head back and speaks.<br>"Fine, fine, what do you want to know." He tips his head forward again and he has his business face on.  
>I sit in my desk chair and swivel around before trying to decide which question to ask first.<br>"How did you know about the first Vienna Markson." I stop myself from asking a string of questions all at once and patiently await his answer.  
>"I did my research. I traced certain family lines, though I didn't think to look into yours." Certain family lines?<br>"If you knew about her, why didn't you automatically know that I was one of them, I mean shouldn't it have been obvious considering we have the same names.

"No, there are two different Markson family lines. The first Vienna Markson, A.K.A, Vienna Nesahla, daughter of Louella, whom you already know and the second is from the real Markson family line. The people who adopted Vienna had 2 other children." He says evenly.

"Then what about my powers? Surely that would have clued you in if my name didn't."

"Like I said before, I didn't single you out for having these abilities as I've seen them in other Marksons, not related to Vienna. They have seen the same vision, but then their abilities disappear after a short time."  
>It's at this point I look to my hands and find them shaking.<p>

"So what made you realise I was one of them?" I have to talk slowly so my voice doesn't waver.

"Well, when you told me about the vision, the one about hearing Louella's daughter's name, it just hit me. No other person I've come across has found that much information.  
>You have been seeing more that the others but I always thought your abilities would just fade, and when they didn't, I suspected. I thought maybe that Louella may have had other kids, and when you told me your name was Vienna, it all seemed to come together.<br>There is a large chance you are a part of her line. I should have done history search on your family but I thought I didn't need to." He replies, I heard the disappointment he felt in himself for not seeing it earlier.

I stare at the floor for a few minutes, trying to process everything.  
>"Do you know how many children Vienna had?" I ask and a curious look gleams in his eyes. He leans back on his hands and looks at me weirdly.<p>

"Three. Why?" They must have been the children I have seen in my visions. A boy and a pair of female twins. Only one child came up in my family tree research and it was the boy. Why wasn't there more information about the twins available?

I sit back in the chair and look at him. I can see parts of him resemble the Nesahla family. Short black hair, blue eyes that compliment a rounded chin and high cheekbones that make his eyes stand out even more. He sits up and stares at me expectantly.  
>"What? What do you want to know?" he smirks at me, does he know what I'm going to ask?<br>"What's your name?" he sighs with a smile on his face and continues to stare at me.

It feels like an eternity before he decides to answer.  
>"Danahi. Danahi Nesahla." He smirks.<br>I gape at him. So he is one!  
>"So your one too." I whisper. "So does this mean were related? I mean if your one too we have to be?"<p>

"Yes, we are. Though my family came from another of Viennas children, not the same as yours. I'm from one of the twins, which means was born with a different last name." He stands up and starts walking around my room with his hands shoved in his pocket. "I was a Brindle, before I decided to change my last name. Because my family descends from one of the female children, it was difficult to trace my line back because she would have had to change her last name too. Though you still have the Markson name, so I'm guessing you're from the male side." He glances at me expectantly and I nod. That part I know for sure.  
>"So technically, I'm like some sort of distant cousin to you." He leans back on a wall near my bathroom.<br>"Well isn't that nice to know, Dave." I give emphasis on his nickname.  
>"Easy, I wasn't going to tell you my real name until now, since I didn't know who you were.<br>For all I know, you could have been a spy to try and kill me." He says easily.

"Yet you still tried to help me with the visions and stuff." I say back. He shrugs.  
>"Guess I thought it was worth the risk, and if you were going to kill me, well I guess I know enough spells to turn your ass upside before you could even try." He gives me a wink. When he says spells another question comes up in my head.<p>

"What element did you specialise in?" I ask. He chews on the question for a while, probably deciding whether he should actually answer.  
>"None. I didn't specialise. We don't." what? We don't specialise?<br>"How is that even possible?" He takes a deep breath, like he is about to go into some mad, college worthy lecture.  
>"Well, in ancient times, the Nesahlas were a big family, as Royal families usually are," I stop him at that bit.<br>"Wait, Royals? The Nesahlas weren't royal." The article I read what seems like years ago flits through my head. It had said that the common Nesahla family was killed. He gives me another knowing look.  
>"Trust me, they were. The Nesahlas were royal but were disowned by the Moroi council because we used a different kind of magic and they had done a lot of bad things.<br>Which is why they wanted the line wiped out. So they staged what history reports as a 'Strigoi attack' but that's not the real story. It was the royal guardians.  
>The members of the Nesahla family were hunted to extinction, although Louella and her family remained well hidden for years, they didn't realise she had a daughter that they managed to hide away before the final family members were discovered and murdered.<br>They thought they wiped out the bloodline, but they didn't. You and I are living evidence of that. They still think we don't exist and at the moment, its best if we keep it that way."

I notice he continually says 'we' like he was there. Though he is part of the line so I guess it gives him the right to use it. I guess I do to.  
>"So they wiped their – our - family line, or so they thought. Then they covered it up by making it seem like it was just a bunch of non-royals killed in a strigoi war." He nods and I put a hand to my forehead. I think I'm going to explode with all this information. "So what does that book have to do with all this?" I ask.<p>

"Well, that's the problem, I don't know. Which I why I need you. For some reason, I don't have visions of the book anymore, it won't allow me to have more information, but it's letting you. Now I know who you are, I can tell you it isn't sealed with any type of elemental magic. In simple terms, they used Wicca, or in modern terms, Witchcraft. It's sealed with a spell, I don't know what one so I can't open it." He looks at me closely, like he is searching for answers. So all that magic use was for nothing. Great, at least I know now that it was a complete waste of my time. Then I think of the whispers that came through in my visions.

"So what, like Latin spells and stuff?" I peek up at him. "  
>"Exactly like that. Because all of the witchcraft was from different origins. So they spoke most of their spells in Latin, but they sometimes used Pagan enchantments as a simpler way." Pagan? It all makes sense now. I lean back in my chair.<p>

My head is going to explode. We sit in silence as I try to process all this new information. My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a ping from my computer, just an email notification.  
>I straighten up and I see Dave – Danahi, I don't even know what to call him now – out of the corner of my eye lean forward abit.<br>It's from my dad. I hesitate before I open my email. When I do open it, it isn't a million paragraphs explaining why I was adopted, it's just one sentence and a question.

"_No, Vienna, you are not adopted. Why would you ask such a question?"_

Without even realising it, I slump into my chair with relief. Danahi walks over and reads my email. He then nods and walks to my bed and sits with his hands folded in his lap.

"So any more questions?" he stares at me intently. I don't even know, I have so much information going through my head right now I hardly know which is a question and which was an answer. One pops up in my head.

"Why would the Moroi council want to wipe out a royal line?"  
>He stops and take a deep breath before answering.<br>"Two reasons really. Firstly, they were practicing a different magic that Moroi didn't….don't believe in, they though it was unnatural. That it shouldn't be allowed. Second, they did something that no one ever expected, something that signed their death warrants.  
>They plagued the world." He says with a heavy voice.<br>"What do you mean, plagued the world? Did they start the black plague or something?" he stares at me again, as if weighing his answer.  
>"Worse. The Nesahlas created Strigoi."<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16.**

The world stops for a moment.  
>"They…you're…my…our…family, created strigoi?" he gives a small nod.<br>I lean back in my chair trying to comprehend what he has just told me. "How, how did they create them?" I can't stop myself from stuttering. If this, my family, created strigoi I can understand why the Moroi world would want them wiped out.

"It's complicated. A mix of spells and black magic and the like." He says. Well, isn't this a turn of events. A few days ago I was from a non-royal 'common' family that no one knew or cared about. Now, not only am I from a family that used witchcraft instead of elemental magic, but they were killed and the events hidden from history by the very people who sort to destroy the ones who first created strigoi. My head reels and I feel faint.  
>"I think I need a drink" I say. I can feel my heart beating in my ears, the world spins and I can't concentrate on a single detail. Danahi gets up and heads to the bathroom, returning with a cup half filled with water. I sip cautiously as the world returns to normal, or as normal as it can be.<p>

After a few moments I gather my bearings and look to Danahi who keeps glancing at his watch.  
>"Somewhere you need to be?" I say nonchalantly. He looks up to me and his face wears his usual smirk.<br>"Yeah. I have to check in with my sources about the book" he gives me a knowing look. I'm not sure I want to know who his 'Sources' are.

After reassuring him that I'm okay, he quickly and quietly leaves the room.  
>I sink into my chair as far as I can and turn back to the computer. I don't know whether I should reply to Dads email or not. It might avoid him being curious about why I thought I was adopted. On second thought he might be even more curious and pressing if I don't reply. I don't need him showing up at the school with Danahi here.<p>

I stare at my father's words for a few moments before I start to type.

'_I was just wondering. I couldn't help but thinking how I look nothing like you or mum and I just thought I should ask.'_

I press send. Again, it short and straight to the point and with any luck he won't reply and the conversation will be over. To my complete surprise I get a reply moments later.

'_Well that's understandable. You look more like my brother then me. The resemblance is uncanny.'_

My dad is actually having a conversation with me? More to the point, I look like his brother? I didn't even know he had a brother. If I look like him, could he be a part of the Nesahla too?

'_I didn't know you had a brother. I've never met him and mum doesn't mention him either.'_

This is probably the first time I've ever had a full conversation with my father in years. It continues to surprise me when he replies again.

"_That's because he passed away a few months after you were born. He was killed by strigoi. Your resemblance to him threw me off for years which is why I haven't bothered talking about him. You both had the same colour hair and eyes. Though I would say the only trait you didn't get from him was the birthmark."_

The way he talks about his sibling, makes me think he resents me for looking like him.

'_What sort of birthmark?'_

I don't have any sort of birthmark. Neither does my father from what I know.

'_He had a birthmark on his shoulder shaped like an E. I have one similar, though I was surprised when you were born without one.  
>Your mother says hi and I apologise I can't talk further, I have to work.'<em>

My dad has a birthmark on his shoulder? Somewhere in the back on my mind I feel like I should know or remember something about the mark but I cant put my finger on it.  
>Well for once my father actually had a normal conversation with me. It sort of makes sense now why I felt like he resented me for something. I look like his brother.<p>

After realising its almost time for class, I race around to getting my books packed.  
>It's hard with all this information going through my head. I quickly scrub my teeth and give an aggressive brush to my hair and shove it up in a bun, though a few tendrils escape and hang down the back on my neck and face. I put on my black jeans and a blue top then head out to find Max. I don't run into him until class, which gave me a bit more time to be alone and actually process everything that has happened, this is definitely not the kind of information I'll be sharing with Max, or with anyone else for that matter.<p>

When I walk into class, Max is sitting a few rows back with his head tilted down, trying to finish some homework. I gaze at him from the door, not quite ready to interrupt him. He looks good today. His hair is tussled and damp, his eyebrows are burrowed in thought. He has his hand to his head, massaging his temples and his lips are pursed. He looks adorable. Vaguely I'm aware of a slight fluttering in my stomach as I stare at him. I miss him. I mean what we do now is amazing, but we can't guarantee that it will stay like that forever. Eventually he might find someone else's. The though makes my eyes burn and an ache forms in my chest.

I sigh and head up to sit next to him. He doesn't look up until I sit down. He definitely was concentrating. He looks at me weirdly, like he is panicked for some reason.  
>"Oh hey, I didn't see you come in." he rushes the words. What's wrong with him?<br>"Yeah you were fairly invested in your homework" I give a slight laugh. He doesn't smile back or anything. His eyes flit between mine and he looks back down at his work.  
>"Yeah, um sorry,"<br>"Hey, what's wrong, are you ok?" I put my hand on his shoulder and he tenses for a moment.  
>"Yeah, just a lot of stuff going through my mind." He says.<p>

Throughout our classes, he continues to be distracted. I don't know what's going on with him and this worries me. Usually he would tell me or it would just go away but he seems to be getting more stressed as the day goes on.  
>After our last class I can't take it anymore. We are heading to my room and I turn to him. He is wringing his hands like he does when he is nervous.<br>"Ok, what's wrong? And don't say nothing. Your fiddling with your hands, you have hardly spoken all day and you didn't eat." Even though we had managed a visit to the feeders, he didn't have much and seemed uninterested for the whole time. He usually manages to get down a weeks' worth of food but not today.

He stares at me for a few moments, then to my surprise, he steps forwards and take my head in his hands and kisses me. Softly at first. He looks back at me and searches in my eyes, his are alight with some sort of longing and nervous energy. He still holds my head and his thumb strokes my cheek. I feel the little fluttering again and I blush. When I do, he gives a small smile. Well at least I've had some sort of victory. 

"Max, what's wrong" I say softly.  
>He takes his time answering me. He's hesitating. When he does, he rushes out the words, like they can't come out fast enough or he just wants it to be over quickly.<br>"I want you to be my girlfriend again Vienna. I miss you and I don't want to risk the chance of losing you." He says.  
>I stand there, pretty surprised, considering he never gave any sort of hints to this. Where did it come from? I search his face, he looks completely sincere. The fluttering continues in my stomach but I think of the thoughts I had earlier today. That I didn't want to lose him either, that the thought of him being someone else's made my heart ache.<p>

I reach for his hand, lace my fingers between his and squeeze. He glances down and then looks back to me.  
>"Of course I will." I quickly stand on my tip toes to hug him. He breathes a sigh of relief and he puts his arms around my waist tightly. I've missed that. I close my eyes for a moment and allow myself a second in complete comfort. We stand like that for a few more moments before he releases me and grabs my hand again and kisses it.<br>"Thank you" he whispers. We hug again but this time I rest my head on his chest, just below his shoulder.

We head back to my room and curl up with a movie, although neither of us are focusing on what we put on, its just all noise in the background right now. I lay on Max's chest and listen to his heart beat, I feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. His fingers comb through my hair relaxing me, I've needed this after this mornings bombshell of information. Eventually the calm completely takes me over it and I succumb to sleep.  
>I wake in the middles of the night, completely wrapped up and safe in Max's arms. I smile up at his cute, peaceful face. I close my eyes again and try to find the nights peace but it's interrupted when I hear a soft knock at the door. I sit up slowly, so as not to wake Max up. It's probably Danahi and I do not need Max pressing me with questions. I feel a slight pang of guilt at not telling Max what's going on but I push it down as I try to climb out of bed.<p>

The knocks continue until I open the door and I find Danahi standing in front of me but not as his usual self. He goes to rush into my room but when he sees Max, his eyes widen in surprise and he slinks back out slowly and I follow him.  
>"What the hell are you doing here? It's late!" it's only when we fully step out in the hall and shut the door, do I notice his face. His eyes are dark and circles fill the skin under them, he keeps glancing around the hall, like he doesn't want people to see him.<br>"I needed to talk to you. I wouldn't have interrupted if I knew you were with your boyfriend." He says, still glancing around. "Have you told him? Did you tell him anything?" he almost sounds frantic. What could make him frantic?  
>"No, of course I haven't, why? What's going on?"<br>"You have to make sure no one finds out Vienna. This is important. I know you think you can trust him and he might not tell anyone, but it's not worth risking your life to tell him. He can't know. No one can." He's staring at me desperately. What's wrong with him?  
>"Danahi, what's wrong?" I say seriously. He takes a step back when I say his name.<p>

"We have a problem."  
>"What sort of problem?" I say slowly. This doesn't sound good.<br>"One of my sources, who is getting the book, overheard some rumours." He whispers.  
>"What sort of rumours?" I tense.<br>"Someone, another Nesahla, I don't know who, was discovered and killed."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17.**

"What do you mean killed?!" I whisper harshly. His eyes widen and he throws his arms up.  
>"What the hell do you think I mean Vienna! Killed, she was killed! There is a secret part of the Moroi council that take care of things like this. They can have someone killed for their own reasons and then make it appear as a strigoi attack." His jaw tightens when he finishes. I feel like I should remember something about a strigoi attack but I can't remember what.<p>

Danahi explains the situation to me but I can barely take it all in. All I can think of now is the fact that Moroi are still hunting Nesahlas. And I'm one of them.  
>He carefully explains why I shouldn't tell anyone, what the consequences would be, then he goes on about what's happening with the book which hasn't progressed any since the last time we spoke about it.<br>Once he is all said and done, I cant do anything but trudge back to my room. I forget that Im not alone in my room and don't take any care to shut the door, Max shifts and wakes up.

"Hey you alright?" he looks at me questioningly.  
>"Yeah, um, I had a nightmare and needed a little air." His expression changed to concerned.<br>"Come back to bed and we can talk about it?" he hold his arms out. I shake my head and walk over to lay next to him. We lay like that for a while and eventually I find the blackness of sleep again.

I hear something scavenging through my room. I quickly open my eyes and I see Max's shadow lurking around the bed. I glance up at him. He is leaning over the side and looking underneath it. Then he comes round to the other side and does the same thing. I smile at him.  
>"Looking for something?" Max glances up at me.<br>"Yeah, actually, I can't find my shirt, care to get out of bed and help me?" he says playfully. I turn to my side so I can see him fully. He stands up with his hands on his hips and smirks at me causing me to laugh just a little.  
>"Nope, just enjoying the show. Please, continue"<br>he laughs and rolls his eyes then continues his search.

How scouts the room for another 5 minutes before he decides to check under the pillows and finds his shirt which he shrugs on. I decide that its probably time to get up and ready as well.  
>I get up to walk to my dresser and then turn back to max who is leaning back on his arms on the bed, he tilts his head to the side just watching me.<br>"Excuse me, you gunna go outside while I get dressed or what?" I laugh at him. He leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees.  
>"Nope, just enjoying the show" he smiles as he repeats my line. His eyes darken slightly and I feel a fluttering in my stomach.<br>"Oh no, not this morning" I stare at him.

"But you look hot Ve, can't I just stare at you forever?" he stands up and walks in front of me. He slides his arms around my waist and pulls me close to him. I honestly don't know how I look hot, I'm wearing one of my oversized t-shirts and underwear. If anything I probably look like I haven't had money in 4 years. I smirk up at him.  
>"No, you can't," I lightly push his chest and bite my lip. "Away with you peasant" I push him a little more, to which he gives a sigh, kisses me deeply and then retreats to the hallway.<p>

I quickly dress and do my hair and head out to get breakfast. Max is standing in the hall leaning against the wall but stands up when I shut the door. He smiles at me and takes my hand as we walk to the cafeteria.

Throughout the day I slink in and out of class like I robot. I just can't stop thinking what Danahi told me. What if someone finds out I'm a Nesahla. What about my family? The questions float around it my head and I feel like I'm going to go insane. I can't even talk to anyone about it. I would love to tell Max but would the potential consequences be worth it?  
>Max has decided to head to the feeders, though I leave him and go to the cafeteria for dinner. Food makes everything better.<p>

It's only when I'm halfway through stuffing my mouth do I feel a slight tickle in my head.  
>As if someone changed the channel on a TV, the scene before me suddenly changes.<p>

The tables and chairs, the people all talking around me disappear as I'm propelled into a dark room. At first it seems blurry but my focus clears and Im in a room lit with a candles around the side though my eyes are drawn to a large amount of candles in the middle of the room. The room is decked out with a tables along every wall, with shelves scattered here and there. The room is scattered with little objects placed carelessly and in every available space. The tables are covered with jars of herbs and liquids with labels I can't read. Little amulets are placed here and there. More herbs cover the shelves, a few medieval looking knives are also placed on the shelves.

Once again I'm drawn back to the centre of the room, where two people I didn't see before, now sit facing each other. Candles surround them and between them, sits a chalice, a knife, a metal plate of some sort and a book. One person, a man, sits on his heels with his hands in his lap, and the other woman sits the same though has her hands spread out wide and her eyes closed. She seems to be murmuring something but I can't hear what. The man opposite her is staring intently and purposefully. I have no idea what is happening.

The murmuring continues for a few more moments before the woman leans forward and takes the man's wrist. Lifting the knife she brings it down, and creates a wide gash along the man's wrist. She continues the murmuring and the man screams, clearly indicating she hit an artery.

I watch in complete astonishment, this is horrific. Why would I be seeing this?

She holds his wrist steadily over a bowl between them, and pours his blood into it, all the while, still murmuring the words I can't hear clearly.  
>The man's screams grow faint and he is leaning to the side, about ready to either pass out or die from blood loss. A few moments later, he topples over and his blood stops running. The woman hold the cup in both hands and starts whispering different words. She rocks back and forth on her heels, whispering to the cup she is holding.<br>All of a sudden she stops. The woman leans over, turns the man on his side and opens his mouth then begins to pour his blood from the bowl, into his mouth.  
>What the hell? I can't take my eyes away though, I feel like I have to watch this.<p>

She pours back a reasonable amount of blood, then sets the bowl back in the middle and doesn't do anything else. She stares at the man, her breathing is heavy. What is she waiting for?

A few seconds later, the man stirs. All the bones in my body are telling me to run right now, to find a way out of something, but I can't. I remind myself, more for my own sanity that it's a vision and I'm not really here.  
>The man shifts on the ground, he moves awkwardly and then comes to a stand. The woman still sits, pure wonder on her face. I decide to circle around them to get a better look. The man's profile comes into view, he has reddish brown hair that looks redder with the candles, his body is still and rigid though he searches his hands in awe.<br>What is this? Once I'm fully in front of the man but behind the woman, I notice other features. He's pale. His skin has a pasty look to it, and his eyes. His eyes look like they can create flames. Even still with a slight twinkle of humanity, his eyes are red. This is the birth of strigoi. This is what destroyed this family. The woman stands up and stares at the newly made strigoi.  
>"I did it." She whispers. I gape at them both amazed. It seemed so simple, how can this happen so simply?<br>Her eyes bore into the man, who has a slightly feverent look in his eyes. He's hungry. He goes to launch at the woman but with a blink, he backs off and takes a step back. What?

I don't know what's going on but I need to find out. Circling around the couple again I kneel down beside the book to get a better look, but as I go to move, I see a flash beside me and then I'm back in my own body, with a mouth half full of a ham and cheese sandwich.  
>I try to down what's in my mouth and shove my way out the door. I need to see Danahi, now. If I don't tell someone about this I'm going to go nuts.<p>

I rush my way around campus and back to my room but I can't find him. On my second round through the dorm I see him striding his way to my room. I run up and quickly usher him into my room and shut the door.  
>"Whoa hey, calm down there, I'm used to being shoved into girls rooms and all but I'm not into the 'keeping it in the family' stuff" He smirks at me. That damn smirk.<br>I hit him on the chest.  
>"I saw it." He looks unfazed.<br>"You saw what?" he sits back on my computer chair.  
>"Strigoi. I saw it. I saw how they were created."<br>Suddenly Danahi comes to stand in front of me with his hands on my shoulders.  
>"You saw it? How? What happened? When?" I sit on my bed and think back to the vision.<br>"Well there was a man and a woman, she was doing some kind of magic and then she drained him of blood I think and fed it back to him. That's it. That's all I saw" I look up to him and his eyes are narrowed in thought.  
>"Why didn't I ever get to see it? What makes you so special." He whispers and starts pacing. "What was the woman saying? What spell was she doing?" he starts biting on his fingernails. This must be a nervous habit of his, or a show of pure frustration.<br>"I don't know, she was too quiet I couldn't hear any of it." all at once Danahi stands in front of me and grabs my shoulders again and shakes.  
>"You didn't hear?! How can you not hear?! It's called listening Vienna! Dammit!" his voice rises and my anger starts to kindle out of nowhere.<br>"There showing you these visions to learn something! Not to sit around and watch what they do! You should have listened!" Immediately my anger reaches breaking point and without realising what I'm doing, I slap him across his right cheek.  
>He falls backward and leans against the wall for support. All I can see is red. I stare back at him and breath heavily, already exhausted.<br>"You're not my damn teacher. I didn't hear the damn woman because I was too concerned about the guy bleeding to death in front of me." My voice is quiet and it scares even me. Danahi looks unfazed, though his face his slightly red. "I'll learn when I'm damn well ready. I'm not an expert like you"

I continue to stare him down, not ready to give up but a few moments later my anger vanishes. It doesn't slowly dissipate, it just gone, like a light switch. I blink a few times and process what just happened. I look at Danahi and see what I did.  
>"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…I don't know…I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry." I put a hand to my forehead and lay back on my bed. What the hell was that?<br>"Hey, its fine, this happens. The magic, the visions, they take a toll, they control you. You got angry because the magic felt that way. Its ok." He sits beside me. I look back at him, and see his cheek. God, how could I do that! For some reason I glance at his shoulder and at the edge of his shirt, I see a small mark on his shoulder. I sit up to get a better look.  
>"What's that?" I ask and point to the mark on his shoulder. It sort of looks like a birthmark, it's slightly darker than his skin but I can't see the whole thing. He looks down at his shoulder. He gives me a small smile when he looks back up he gives me a knowing look and pulls down the collar of his shirt a little. When he does I notice the shape of it and the familiarity. It's shaped like an E. I remember my dad said he had one, so did his brother.<br>Just like the little kid in my visions.  
>"I guess you could call it a family heirloom." He says.<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18.**

"What exactly do you mean by family heirloom? I mean I never got it so why did you?" I ask with my eyebrows raised.  
>"Oh is someone a bit jealous?" I give him an incredulous look. Actually no, I'd rather not have a big birthmark in a very obvious place that could potentially identify me as an ancient family the Moroi council seeks to kill.<br>"No, I just want to know why only the men have it" I tell him. After pacing around the space of my room twice, he turns to me with a smirk.  
>"Maybe we are just special, the favourites." He says with a wink.<br>"Danahi," I say with gritted teeth, I can feel my anger rising again. "Can you be serious for one moment and tell me something useful." I stare him down again.  
>"Fine fine, god you may as well be throwing knives at my throat." He sits down on the bed with me. "It's only in the men because it was created for us during the times when the Nesahlas were being hunted, so that we could identify each other. So men who are Nesahlas now, would know I'm one too by my birthmark. Unless you're like your father who in his case doesn't know who he is and just thinks he's a Markson. It's also how the Moroi council identify us. If they get leads on certain people, all they have to do is look for this." He taps his shoulder.<br>"What?! You mean someone created these marks on our family?" I ask.  
>"A witch, from one of the families, wanted to make sure that someway, people in the future would know who they are. I suppose they must have had an idea of what was going to happen to them. These marks were created so they were passed down to each generation, they only run in the Nesahla family." He looks at me again with a slight glimmer of sadness.<br>"Well at least you guys have something that marks you as one of them." I sigh. I actually would like to have something that proves I'm one of them. I mean family trees and birth certificates can be faked, birthmarks and any kind of genetic markers cant.

"Actually, you do." I what?  
>"Excuse me?" He leans over and pulls my hair away from behind my ear.<br>"You do have one. I was being sarcastic about us males being special," he says with a smile. "The females of the family have one too. You have one behind your ear." He taps a spot right at the top of my hairline behind my ear.

I rush up and run to the bathroom. Just as I reach the mirror I can hear Danahi laughing.  
>"What's so funny?" I ask as I'm trying to pull back my hair and pull forward my ear to see it but I can't.<br>"You won't see it." He walks to the door of my bathroom and leans against it.  
>"Why won't I?" I ask, still pulling at my hair.<br>"Because it was designed that way. If you can't see it, you won't find it. You wouldn't be able to see it unless you were looking for it either."  
>I give an exasperated sigh and let go of my hair. "Why the hell would they make it like that? You get to see yours but we can't?" I find myself growing more and more aggravated by the minute. <p>

"I can only think that it was to protect the females of the line, you are the only ones that can reproduce you know!" What? That's kind of the world's most useless fact right now.  
>"Oh shit, you don't say." I say, my words laced with sarcasm. Danahi narrows his eyes.<br>"Watch it. I mean, they made it that way for you because if you didn't know who you were, you couldn't tell anyone, which means no one knows, you survive, meet a mate, the rest is history. They made your mark, so we, meaning us guys, know who you are." My head spins. Well I guess that's a good reason.

"None of this is explains why the visions are happening though." I whisper. I don't expect Danahi to hear, but I forget we are vampires.  
>"That's a mystery to me too. Though that's half the reason why I'm here!" he says cheerily, claps his hands together and heads back out to my room. I follow after him and sit on the floor, opposite my bed which Danahi occupies. I look at him expectantly as if to ask why. "I'm here to help you learn to bring on your visions." He says with a Cheshire cat smile. I roll my eyes at him.<br>"And how am I meant to do that. I've tried before. And failed." I tell him. He jumps up off the bed and comes to sit next to me.  
>"That's because you didn't have me helping you!" he says. Honestly he sounds like a fifteen year old girl. I roll my eyes again.<br>"Fine."

10 minutes later, my anger has risen.  
>"This is so damn useless. I can't do it, can't we just leave it at that." I get up from the floor. I have cramps in my legs and I'm trying to ignore my frustration. I start pacing.<br>"You're not going to get it instantly Vienna, it takes ti…"  
>"Time, practice, yeah yeah I get it, whatever." He glares at me when I finish is sentence. I run my fingers through my hair and try to calm myself. "I can't do this stuff, I'm useless." My temper still rises. "God dammit! Why the hell is this happening to me?! I can't do anything useful, I don't know what any of this means, I can't…" my words are cut off when the scene abruptly changes. What?<p>

A few seconds pass and I realise I'm in a vision. Well, what good timing. I take in my surroundings. I'm in the Nesahla house again, it all looks fine, the assassination obviously hasn't happened yet. I'm in the big room, the place where the safe and the book are. I try to concentrate on finding the details, and everything in the room takes form. The shelves, the crests on the wall, the furniture, everything takes shape, revealing a once well-loved home. On either side of me I see the room that is the library, with two great stone pillars standing beside the door. On the other side, there is the nursery. Though it seems different this time.

I walk over to the door, all the while trying to take in every detail I can. When I reach the door and open it, the room is completely different. There is no indication of a nursery at all, it just looks like a small lounge room. I few books on a shelf next to the window, I love seat seated on the opposite side, facing the window, a few other bits and pieces placed here and there but I don't really take notice. I'm more interested in the barely visible crack behind the love seat. I walk over and examine it.

I run my fingers along it and it doesn't feel like the crack is very deep but there's a slight difference in the material underneath it. On one side of it, it feels smooth, like any other wall, but on the other its slightly rough. I look over the wall abit more and find an identical crack about a meter away from the first one. How weird. I keep looking and find another above me that joins together the cracks on either side. This isn't just another part of the wall, its a door.

I move to the side of the love seat and push it over revealing the cracks that finish at the floor. I come to stand in front of it and give a slight push. I hear a small creak and push abit more. When it fully opens, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. But as soon as I open the door and take a step into the dark room, I hear whispers. I haven't heard whispers in a while. I try to concentrate on what they are saying.  
><em>"Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum" <em>

The phrase repeats, over and over and by the fourth time, it's starting to grate on my ears.  
>I try to ignore the whispers and head into the room abit more. It's almost completely dark except for candles placed at random intervals. It almost looks the same as the room that created the strigoi. This one doesn't have as many objects scattered around, it's neat and organised. I tread through the room, examining everything carefully. Nothing really stands out. It kind of just sounds like the usual witchy stuff I've heard Danahi mention a few times. Turning to a different desk, I see a bunch of herbs tied together, a pendulum hanging from a nail on the wall and a book.<p>

Feeling the need to see it, I slowly walk over and put my hands on the desk, a little swell of dust slides from beside my hand. The book looks familiar. But I don't think I've seen this one before. Its brown leather, it has an N imprinted in the top left corner in what looks like silver ink. At the bottom of the book more silver writing twirls.  
><em><br>"Book of Shadows" _it reads at the bottom. I wonder what it is. As I reach out to touch it I notice pieces of paper scattered underneath it, most of them a written in what I recognise as Latin, so I don't bother examining them further.  
>I extend my hand further, trying to make some sort of contact with the book, but when I do, the vision changes again. There's smoke and fire, a woman, I think its Louella, holding a book in her arms and murmuring. All of a sudden, it changes again, and I'm back in my own body, swaying back and forth on my heels as I try to gather my bearings.<p>

"Whoa hey, that seemed like a big one, you were out for a while" he ushers me over to the bed then heads into my bathroom and returns with a cup of water. By the time I've had a few sips I feel slightly more grounded. I've never reacted like that to a vision. All my energy faded, my brain felt fried and I just couldn't do anything.  
>"What happened?" he asks as he kneels in front of me. I look down at my hands and fiddle with the cup.<br>"I don't exactly know, I was seeing one room and then a door, and then another and…I don't know I can't really remember" the more I try to think about it the more I feel the memories fade.  
>He urges me to drink more water and I comply. Once he thinks I'm well enough, he heads out to make a phone call but of course promises to return.<p>

I put the cup on the nightstand and then lay down, I feel exhausted. I start to nod off but im disrupted by Danahi walking back into the room.  
>"Hey sleepy head, I've got some good news." I sit up instantly.<br>"Good news?" I stare at him expectantly. Is this about the book?  
>"Your book is on the way" he smirks at me, clearly amused that his mission is almost complete. The book is on the way. Soon, I'll be able to have it. I need it. I can try to understand all this. The more I think about it, the more I feel the tension rise in my body. My vision tinges red for a moment, but disappears. Weird.<br>"That's great! Oh, that's great thank you!" I get up to hug him. After a quick hug he lets go.

"So what now? What do we do now? Do we wait?" I ask.

Danahi doesn't have time to answer any of my questions, as someone else walks through my door. Max. Oh no. this is not good. Danahi freezes and so does Max. I suspect Max froze in complete surprise, Danahi on the other hand, I know he froze in fear.

Max recovers, then stares between Danahi and where I am sitting. He surveys the rest of the room, the cup of water of the nightstand and the slightly rumpled bed where I almost fell asleep. This clearly does not look good. Danahi is still frozen but Max looks to me, with abit of anger in his eyes.  
>"What the hell is this?" he says.<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19.**

"Well?" Max's face shows complete anger but also a little bit of confusion.  
>"Max it's not what you think" I cast a quick glance at Danahi who seems to slowly be recovering but hasn't bothered making any moves or saying anything.<br>"Ha, yea nice line Ve." He says, narrowing his eyes at me. This is what I wanted to avoid when I got with Max again. He definitely has a knack for being extremely jealous.

"I'm serious Max, this…this is…um" my failure to come up with a complete sentence makes Max a little bit angrier.  
>"Dave. My name is Dave." Danahi finally picks this moment to speak at. Nice timing, Dave.<br>"And you're in my girlfriend's room why?" Max asks defensively.  
>"Oh I'm just a friend of the family. I work with her mother at court and needed to talk to Vienna." He says, with just a little bit of an arrogant tone, just like anyone who works at court. I raise my eyebrows at him but he doesn't see. Max looks at me expectantly.<p>

"He wanted to talk to me about mum, she's having trouble at work and doesn't know how long she will be there. Dad wouldn't tell me anything and that's when Dan…Dave showed up." I wince at my stutter and I see Danahi clench his jaw. Max looks slightly more convinced though not completely.  
>"And where exactly do you work at court?" Max asks Danahi.<br>"Sorry nope, can't tell you that." Danahi says in an even tone. Max looks slightly frustrated again.  
>"Why not?"<br>"Well if I told you that I'd have to kill you" Danahi says with a wink. Oh he's making a joke. To my surprise Max gives a little laugh and comes to stand beside me.

"So you're not here to sleep with my girlfriend?" Max says bluntly and I nudge him slightly. Danahi' look in incredulous. If only max knew.  
>"No sir, you can keep her. Anyway Ve, I gotta go but you should talk to your mum yeah?" he says. Playing along with his charade I nod and he heads out, leaving Max and I alone.<p>

"Well that was awkward. Sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive or anything it just didn't look all that good when I walked in, I'm sorry." Max says and he walks towards me and I folded into his arms.  
>"It's ok" I say. When truthfully, it's not. I wish I could tell Max about what's going on. I need to tell him. I remind myself to bring it up with Danahi next time I see him.<p>

The next few days pass uneventfully. I haven't seen Danahi, he has probably retreated to a dark corner in case anyone else is looking for him. I want to ask him about that, why he is always paranoid, looking over his shoulder at the world and why he froze up when Max walked in. Max and I are ok for now, but for some unknown reason he seems more distant since seeing Danahi in my room.

I wonder if he didn't completely buy what Danahi and I were selling. I frown at the thought, I know I was lying but he is supposed to trust me. Maybe I'm just being a hypocrite.

That night I'm lying in bed, thinking about the last vision I had, the day Danahi and Max met. I analyse every part I can trying to figure out how I went into the vision. I try to replay every single moment before I went in. I was trying with Danahi but it wasn't working. I got frustrated and started yelling and then was pulled into the vision. But nanoseconds before I was pulled in, my anger levels changed, it was all consuming, pure rage, and then I was pulled in. I wonder if that's it. I mean it wasn't like that before, I never got angry when it happened, the visions just came at random intervals. But lately it seems like I've been getting angry right before it happens.

I sit up in my bed and take a few deep breaths. Ok, let's try this way. I try to think of moments, when I was in complete rage, and why, and how it happened. My first immediate thought was of my father. Which is surprising. I mean I'm angry at him for shutting me out of his life so much, he hardly accepted me as his daughter, it was like I was born out of only my mothers joy.

Its almost as if he didn't want me. He ignores me, he accepts everyone else, his whole family except me. I always seems like I don't matter to him but I need him, he is my father and yet he wasn't. He was never there for me during times I struggled, my mum was.  
>He left me to my own vices when he left me here, at this school, and then he hardly makes an effort to contact with me. Whenever I felt I needed my father, he was never there.<p>

Without realising it, I've dug my nails into my palm, through the skin and my hand is bleeding. I stare up at the wall in front of me again, mulling over my realisation. Blind rage consumes me. How could he do that to his own daughter? I dig my nails in further and my vision tinges red and then I'm thrown out of my room and into another. I did it. I'm in. I brought on a vision.

I glance down at my hands again, even in here they are still bleeding. I crunch up my hand and try to calm my raging mind. Now I'm in, I don't need to be so angry. I close my eyes and try to match my breaths to every third heartbeat. Eventually my anger diminishes and I can survey my surroundings. The house is on fire. When I first entered the house was intact, like brand new. I realise it must have changed while I had my eyes closes.

I swivel around and notice that my visions always begin in the big room and I'm always alone, except this time I'm not. The man and woman are here with me. The man stands at the library door, he keeps glancing between the woman, who is writing furiously on a piece of paper, and back through the library. The house looks like it is early stages of a fire. Few plumes of smoke rise around the room and fire only licks one side of the room.  
>"Louella we must hurry!" Louella is the woman writing, it must be. But why would she be writing at a time like this?<p>

"Louella please!" he voices again, his face is strained with complete worry for her.  
>She suddenly shoves the paper into some kind of book and holds it close to her chest. She concentrates on that for a moment before she swifltly moves around the room and then she is back to her husband<p>

They both stare at the loud crashing at the door, ready to face the problem at hand.

"Ambrosius" she whispers. She looks to her husband and suddenly, a loud crash echoes in my ears and the door vibrates like something is smashed against it. With a few more gigantic creaks, the door flings open and people flood in. There is no mistaking that they are Guardians. All wearing red dots on their collars. Royal guards. Is this how the last moments of the Nesahlas were spent?

At his exact moment I'm flung out of the vision and back in my own bed. I get out of bed, coughing and spluttering over smoke I can no longer see, though I still feel it. I claw at my throat trying to get fresh air but it doesn't seem to come. I rush to the bathroom and take a large gulp of water. Eventually, after a few more coughing fits, my airway clears and I lean against the wall and sink to the floor. That was more intense than any other vision.

I note with slight satisfaction and pride that I got into a vision by myself. I can do it. I remember my hand again and walk back to the sink to clean it. They are only small, fine cuts that my fingernails had marked me with. Nonetheless I clean my hand and put some antiseptic on it. Once it stopped bleeding the cuts are barely visible. I sink back against the cold floor and close my eyes for a moment. What I perceive as a few moments turn out to be the rest of the night, no more light spills through my window, it's now completely black indicating a new day is starting.

I pad back to my room and get dressed. I need to see Max to find out what's going on with him but the urge to see Danahi, is greater. I need to know he is ok.  
>I leave my hair out today and it sits with a slight wave to the middle of my back. My green blue eyes stare back at me desperately. The world is starting to be a confusing place.<p>

I'm disrupted on my way to class when Danahi peeks around the corner and pulls me towards a dark part of the quad.  
>"Where have you been?!" I ask reverently.<br>"Well I've been making sure your shipment is going to plan trying to make sure your boyfriend didn't out me and people weren't here to kill me. Good enough for you?" he says with sarcasm.  
>"I've been looking for you for days, I needed to talk to you!"<br>"Well I'm here now. By the way you're not going to class, you're coming with me!" he says in his automatic cheery way and pulls me away from my original course further.

I follow Danahi to wherever he is taking me, which turns out to be just at the edge of campus.  
>"So what exactly are we doing out here? It's not some witchy ritual that requires animal sacrifice and blood and stuff is it?"<br>"Actually that's exactly what this is." He says with a straight face. Are you kidding me?! "Actually I'm joking, though we are here to learn magic." Oh thank god. I relax slightly though my interest is peaked when he says magic.  
>"What sort of magic?" he gives me a smirk when I ask.<br>"The witchy kind." He says mysteriously.

He sets up what looks like some sort of alter on the grass, complete with silver chalice cup thing, a medieval looking knife and a few other assortments.  
>After that he explains what the different herbs and oils will do and how they work together. He explains simple spells but doesn't demonstrate a thing.<br>"So when exactly are you going to show me how to do this stuff?" I ask hopefully.  
>"Well, I thought I'd wait for a special moment" a special moment? He suddenly shifts and pulls something else out of the bag he brought with him. What he brings out makes the world completely stop. I stare at it with wide eyes. Finally.<p>

In Danahi hands, he holds a brown leather book. My book. All of a sudden, whispers intrude my mind and rush around but I can only concentrate on the book. It's finally here. Taking my eyes off it for a split second, I glance up at Danahi who is surveying me intensely, making looking to gauge my reaction. He smirks a little and then I reach out the grab to book from him.

The world seems to move in slow motion. My hands reaching for the book, and closing around the edges. Then a blinding white light protrudes through my mind and the flashes start. Though it doesn't completely start until Danahi' hands let go of it. I see flashes of Louella, a baby, I see more of the items that Danahi has laid out in front of me. Memories flood through of what I thought of my father earlier this morning. Though it's all more intense this time. More consuming. Anger floods through every crevice in my brain, taking no prisoners. Whispers grate everywhere, all weaving through one another so I can't understand anything being said. It's all consuming. The rage continues to pour through me, though this time I can't seem to grasp any sort of happiness I had. It's all rage, pure, blind rage.

Abruptly everything stops. The whispers stop, the visions stop. Everything does. Except the rage. It burns through me. I look back at Danahi, who seems to be the only person who I can't be mad at. I think of every other moment of my life, my father's inconsideration, my mother leaving me, Max leaving the first time, every single person in this school and throughout my life flows through my mind and I place the cause of the anger within them all.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20.**

"Why…why am I so angry?" I stutter out to Danahi, who is still surveying me as I hold the book.  
>"It's the book, it's this sort of magic. In a way it feeds off anger." He says calmly like he talks about this sort of stuff everyday. "You can control it Ve"<br>"How? How can I? All I can think about it what everyone has done to me and how I hate them all so much" I say with gritted teeth.  
>"Stop concentrating on the book. This is why you're angry, its making you feel that way."<br>"How the hell does a book make me angry?" I glare at him, more of my anger rising.  
>"Because it's what this sort of magic does Vienna, this is how it lives. You need to calm down."<br>"I'm trying!" I yell at him.  
>"Vienna, stop, calm down, I'm not enemy here. Here, take my hands." What the hell is holding his hands going to do? He looks at me with wide eyes, clearly genuine with his instructions. I slowly extend my hands toward his and eventually take hold.<br>Nothing happens at first but I see Danahi close his eyes and he tenses in concentration. What is he doing?

A few more moments pass but my anger doesn't budge, then without warning, it slowly fades away. My mind calms and I sag in relief. I feel exhausted. Another moment passes and he finally lets go of me. My anger has diminished a little, though not gone completely.  
>"What was that?" I ask him. He looks slightly worn out, like whatever he just done just took all of his energy.<br>"A spell. It counteracts aggression. Pretty useful really. I guess you could call it a happy spell, it calms people down, and I've used it multiple times to get away from guardians." Wow.  
>"Oh nice. Well I guess it worked. You may have to show me how to use that one."<br>I honestly can't believe how angry I got. It blinded me.

I'm hesitant to touch the book again, afraid that it might take over me, but a small nod from him persuades me. I glance down at the book again. It just looks like a brown leather parcel. Nothing seems to be holding it together. It just looks like a brown leather box.  
>Just as my hands collide with the book. I feel more or the anger flare up but it's immediately pushed down by Danahi's counteraction spell. Though with the pulse of anger, I hear a solitary whisper, hushing a single sentence in Latin.<br>_"Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum"  
><em>It's only whispered once. Staring down at the book, I feel a burning wonder to see what would happen if I said it.

I concentrate on the words and try to replicate the words.  
>"Occulta et ipse vivet vinctum" I whisper. I say it so low that Danahi can't hear it, it's only when his brow creases do I realise he knows something is happening.<br>I feel a small flutter in my head and I expect a vision but it doesn't come, instead something more surprising happens. It's like someone is washing a dirty wall. Brown leather melts away in different places but flows over the whole book. I see sparkles of silver on the top and bottom but I can't quite make what it is yet.  
>I'm too stunned by what's happening. So it Danahi. He leans forward and gasps. I watch as more of the cover slips away and once it stops it takes a clear form of a book. A very thick one. I can tell by the pages that it is worn down, pages peek out between others. I turn back to the cover, which I can clearly see now. A silver N resides in the top left corner, the silver gleaming like it has been freshly done. At the bottom on the page, more silver writing sits.<br>_Book of Shadows._

"Any idea what that means?" I ask Danahi. He still eyes the book warily  
>"A book of shadows contains all of a Witches spells and information. It pretty much is the life of a witch. Everyone has to have them." How does he know that?<br>"How do you know? Do you have one?" I raise an eyebrow at him and he looks back up to me, wearing his trademark smirk.  
>"Sources. And I did. Mine was stolen."<br>"What do you mean, stolen?"  
>"When I ran from Guardians. They found my stuff and they burned it all so I don't have access to any of it. Although, I've slowly been collecting my stuff again."<br>"Yeah about that. Why are you running from the Guardians."  
>"Because of my last name." he says the last few words gravely and then shifts his attention back to the book. He reaches forward, as if to take it.<br>"Hey," I swat his hand. "Keep your hands off. I'm the one that opened it, I get the first look." Danahi narrows his eyes at me.  
>"Don't forget who got you that book." It sounds like a threat. I straighten up and look at him squarely.<br>"Don't forget who the one that opened it was. You couldn't, I could, so I'm claiming it" I tell him evenly. I pick the book up and hold it in my lap. Danahi visibly tries to hold himself back.  
>"Well at least show me something. I got that for you, you owe me." He says through gritted teeth.<br>"Fine" I agree.

I sit with the Book of Shadows in my lap, running my hands over the material. I can't believe this is it. This Book, this is what I've have seen in so many of my visions. This is what I was meant to get. But it's also the very thing that killed my family. It's also the thing that created strigoi. My anger slowly ebbs in again, but I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

The first thing I see when I open it, is a coal smudged piece of paper. Black marks are smeared on the back and a few on the front. I run my fingers over it and what feels like ash, covers my fingertips. Fire. This must have been what Louella was writing the day she was killed, like in my last vision. Black ink whirls around the paper, all in cursive writing and is barely recognisable.

"_My dearest daughter,  
>If you are reading this, it means that you have found our family history and also the price of the damage it causes. It also means you know that the people you thought to be your parents, are not. For that, I am sorry. I had no choice but to send you away to a family who can live out their lives long enough to raise you to the bright young woman I know you will be, as I cannot give you the life you need.<br>Our family is one of many origins my dear, we are the Nesahlas. But between the greed of the royal families and the anguish our name has brought us, I am saddened to say you may never wear our family name. Through the years our family has had powers not many can quiet fathom, and as the first family to use our blood to forge the darkness that will soon plague our world, the king wants our line extinguished. You must not share this secret with anyone, keep your new family name as it will bring safety to you and your family for many years to come. By the time you may have found this, we will be gone, but my dear, dear daughter, do not worry or cry for us, for we are always here.  
>Love always, your mother, Louella Nesahla"<em>

I read the letter over and over, reading yet not processing the information. Her daughter must be Vienna, the first Vienna Markson. I wonder if she ever found this. Danahi comes to stand behind me and peeks over my shoulder to read the letter. He gives a small nod of acknowledgement as he reads and then sits back in front of me.  
>"How is this letter so well preserved? I mean these people lived centuries ago, it looks as if it's been freshly written" I look back to him and he shrugs.<br>"Must have been the spell, looks like every page within the book was protected from aging even a day."  
>"Yeah about that, how come I was the only one able to open it?<br>We're related. You have the same powers as me so why wouldn't it work for you?" he shrugs again.

I go to turn the page to see what else I could find in here but I notice Danahi leaning over, also looking. I pull the book toward my chest, covering the pages.  
>"Hey, eyes off, you seen your page."<br>"Are you kidding me? That was one letter!" he says with wide eyes, clearly desperate to learn more.  
>"Yeah, and you still seen it." I narrow my eyes at him, seeing if he will challenge me.<br>He glares at me for a moment longer and then glances around the space we are in. He then gets up and starts putting things away.  
>"Whoa hey, what are you doing?" I shut the book and stand up beside him.<br>"Packing up, we have been out here for a long time and people will wonder, especially your boyfriend." He spits the words out and continues to pack his things up.  
>"Fine" I say bluntly. My anger is starting to return and I'm starting to get frustrated.<br>I shove the book of shadows into my bag and start walking back to my room but before I take a step, Danahi interrupts.  
>"Hey, don't forget you still need to learn magic. I'll find you tomorrow." He says and returns to packing his things. I sigh and keep walking back to my dorm.<p>

As I'm walking back to my room, my rage continues to flow back to me, Danahi's spell is clearly wearing off. Maybe I should get him to teach me that one. I walk past crowds of people, all standing close together, whispering and giggling. I stomp back to my room and slam the door. Before I have a chance to think someone knocks behind me. Shit, Max is here, I forgot about him. I quickly shove my bag under my bed and open the door.  
>Max stands there looking disappointed.<br>"What happened to you today?" he says evenly, still standing in my doorway. I open the door further to let him in but he doesn't move a muscle.  
>"Sorry I wasn't feeling well today, I was going to find you but I've been sick." I say in a small voice. Maybe I should be an actress. Max's eyes soften and he steps forward to hug me.<br>"Are you ok? Do you know why you were sick?" he asks, giving me a kiss on my forehead.  
>"No, it just came on."<br>"When was the last time you had blood?" he asks. Oh right. I forgot I needed that. I haven't had any in almost 3 days.  
>"About 3 days." I say truthfully. He sighs and steps back and takes my hand.<br>"Come on then, you need to feed." He ushers me out of my door before I can say anything. I cast a quick glance at where my bag hides with the book and then shut my door.

I manage to plaster a fake smile on my face the whole way over to the feeders, hoping that Max doesn't start asking any questions. Questions that I cant answer and right now, I really dont want to get into. The more I see people around this place, the more time I spend with Max, the more my anger builds. We walk into the feeder's room together, put my name down and wait patiently. Not many people are here so I don't have long to wait.

This time my feeder is a man. Long blond hair that sits just below his ears, he has a dazed expression on his face, the expression indicating the high that these people get from a bite. He sits up eagerly as he sees me approach and tilts his neck, giving me clear access. Suddenly, hunger blooms in my stomach. I try to calm myself and then feed from him. My fangs sink into his neck and I taste blood starting to flow into my mouth. I feel the feeder go slack against me, the high taking affect. I drink for a bit longer than I should, savouring every single drop he gives me.  
>Before I can stop it, a dangerous thought flows through my mind. What would it be like to take all of his blood. With great restraint, I pull myself away and lick my lips.<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21.**

It seems that everywhere I go, people are whispering and giving me strange looks, I can tell its mostly about me by the way they go quiet when I approach them. People are also head over heels excited just because the school dance is tonight. Which is about as stupid as it sounds. I mean who gets excited to be stuck in a stuffy, hot gym with people you cant stand on a normal day, forced to listen to music the teachers probably keep on their iPods…. I wonder if they would know how to use an iPod.

Why am I not surprised that Max is making me go, against my will might I add, and it's making me even more frustrated and angry towards him. As if I needed more stress to deal with but I can't help it. My temper and anger levels just manifest at every single moment of the day and what's worse, is that its now over the little things. I am meant to be meeting Danahi today but I have no idea when, he simply said he would find me. Like that's really helpful to me right now, especially with the out of control way I'm feeling.  
>I really need to ask about the aggression spell. It helped calm me so fast and so easily previously that I could do with the same assistance before I end up strangling someone.<p>

I'm walking through the hallways on the way to the cafeteria with Max but I keep hearing whispers and seeing heads turn in my direction…. I just want to snap. Max doesn't seem to notice anything is wrong so I guess I'm a good actor. I squeeze his hand tightly as I try to push down some of my anger, but it doesn't work.

"So what do you reckon you will wear tonight?" it takes me a few moments to realise he actually said something.  
>"Hm what? Oh, um, I dunno."<br>"Well I really like that blue dress. You know the one that your mum brought you?" ugh I hate that dress. Actually, I hate any dress.  
>"Yeah, no, well….I don't know. I'll probably just wear jeans or something, I really can't be bothered." Max swiftly turns around in front of me.<p>

"Nope, I don't think so. You're wearing a dress. I hardly see you in one and although you look hot with whatever you wear, I think you should wear a dress." He says with a small smile. Then it falters.  
>"I mean, I would love to see you in a dress but I guess you don't have to, if you don't want to. It's up to you, if you want to wear jeans or something go ahead I mean you dont have to listen to me I was just…" considering how my moods are lately, I'm a little surprised when I feel a small smile creep to my face.<br>"Fine, fine yes, I will wear a dress." I tell him and his smile comes back. He pulls me to him, his arms tighten around me waist, completely eliminating the space between us.  
>"Good," he says darkly and leans in to whisper in my ear. "Dresses are easier to take off afterward." He leans back with a dark look in his eyes. I gasp a little and the more I look at him, the more I like the idea of the dress.<p>

I'm not really hungry lately, so I sit in the cafeteria with Max and sit back watching everyone else shovel down their lunch.  
>"Hey so, what happened to your friend before? Dave I think it was"<br>"Oh yea, I think he went back to court." I say tightly hoping he will drop the subject.  
>"Fair enough, you know he looks like you? It's kind of scary really." He says, taking a bite of a muffin. He does?<br>"He does? That's kind of weird."  
>"Yeah I know."<p>

The day passes and I somehow manage not to hit anyone or scream, although I still haven't caught up with Danahi. I haven't had a chance to sit down and read the book but I'm hoping I can look at a few pages before I have to go to the dance.  
>I'm on my way back to my room and the whispers still continue. People sneak glances at me and continue their whispers to their little pack surrounding them. My anger boils and it takes every ounce of control I have not to turn around and hit the first person I see.<p>

I take deep breaths until I reach my room and once I shut the door I sag against it and fall to the floor. Tears of frustration begin to fall. Why won't this anger go away? I know the sort of magic I have feeds off it but I just want it to stop. Its then I think about what happened to my family because of this, I think about the secrets the Moroi have been keeping just because they were afraid of something different, and my aggression rolls over me again.  
>I stand back up and get my bearings. I hate them all. I try to push some of it back.<p>

Standing in the bathroom, straightening my hair, I realise that even with all this anger, I haven't had a vision. Now that I figured out its something that can trigger visions I'm surprised none haven't come.

I abandon my hair for a moment and summon some of that anger to see if I can bring on a vision. My fury brews and fills my mind but nothing happens. I feel no fluttering, nothing. It won't work. I concentrate on it for a few more moments but nothing comes. I can't bring on visions anymore. I slump against the wall, trying to figure out why but I can't. I'm going to have to ask Danahi. I remember I was going to have a look at the book before I go tonight.

I fish out my bag from under my bed and grab out the Nesahla book. I run my hand over the cover, trying to get any sort of feel for why my visions won't work. When I open the book, the letter is the first thing I find, I keep turning the pages and all I see is cursive writing, some in Latin, some in English. As I flip through the pages, my odds of finding something that will help me go down. Just before I give up on the book, a page catches my eye, or rather, the title does. At the top of the page the letters curl around each other and it's hard to understand and I can only just make it out.  
>"Strigoi" is all it says but I can clearly tell it's the spell to create strigoi. I read over the page and memories of my vision pour back to me, of the man tumbling over to his side, the mortal life leaving him and being overtaken by an immortal one. I wonder what it would be like to create a Strigoi, to watch someone die and then have them rise again, completely different but also the same. The same body, just with a different life force running through them.<p>

Realising I've been distracted from my original task I slam the book shut and shove it back under my bed.

Once my hair is straightened to perfection, I put on a little makeup. The only thing I have ever liked about makeup is it makes my eyes look really bright. The blue stands out with just hints on green around my iris. I stare back at my face, I guess I can't really complain with how I look. Bright eyes stare back at me, with a little button nose, a pouty top lip and a full bottom one. I head back out to my wardrobe and fish out the blue dress my mum brought me. This is the only fancy dress she brought me, only being able to afford it because of her job. I don't even want to know how much it cost.

I pull it on, slightly admiring how I look in the mirror. I gotta say, mum did well with this dress. It's the first time I've worn it and considering how much I hate dresses I find myself becoming very fond of this one. It's a tight fitted royal blue, floor length dress.  
>A little crystal belt sits above my hips but my favourite part is the back. My back is completely bare, the dress drooping all the way to the small of my back and around my hips where it stops. The small straps sit on my shoulders, holding it up.<p>

I'm fixing my hair just as Max walks in the door but stops as soon as he sees me. I turn to him and he is gaping at me.  
>"What? What is it disgusting?" the slight admiration I felt for myself before has now completely disappeared, my temper returning.<br>"Of course it is. Never mind I'm going to get changed, I'm not wearing this." I pick up the bottom on my dress and head back into my wardrobe but Max grabs hold of my arm stopping me.  
>"Oh no you don't. Don't you dare take it off" he breathes out. He's still holding my arm and he pulls me back and holds me at arm's length, his eyes travelling up and down my body. "You look…"<br>"Horrible, disgusting, ugly" I say to him, meeting his eyes levelly.  
>"Beautiful. You look absolutely stunning Vienna. Don't take it off." He pulls me to him and I feel a slight flutter in my stomach through the rage I can't really stop. He pulls me closer to him again and slides his hand over my bare back.<br>"I especially love this" he whispers. My breathing accelerates a little.  
>"Easy now, we still have a dance to go to." I tell him. I slide my hands over his chest, distracting him even more.<br>"Are you sure you want to go? I mean we can just stay here and I can admire you in this dress." He says.  
>"Oh no, were going." I laugh at him.<br>"So now you want to go? I had trouble talking about it to you before?" he laughs with me. I nod to him. "Fine, we'll go. Then everyone can see how amazing you look." He kisses me on the forehead and we head out.

The ground is a little slippery, so Max has to steady my all the way there.  
>Now I'm just getting angry at the weather. The room is full of people, all congregating in their little groups passing around gossip. I sigh and look back to Max who is surveying his surroundings.<br>He gives me a sympathetic look and we head over to a small group of people Max know. I stand beside him, not saying anything. With how much my temper seems to be flaring lately I don't trust myself to say anything. People come and go, some of them I know are heading out to different parties and the like. Though half hour into it, I just want to leave.

"Max can we leave? Please?" I beg him. These people just make me so angry.  
>"Why? You okay?" he asks and he snakes his arms around me. A teacher who leans against the wall eyes us suspiciously, clearly waiting for us to make out.<br>"Yeah I just hate being around all these people." I say truthfully.  
>Looking around again I see people in groups, all being excited over something. It grows slowly as people spread from group to group. Some good gossip must be spreading.<br>"Please Max, I just want to leave." I plead again. He gives me a small nod and quickly ducks over to the group he was talking to, then returns to my side.  
>"Come on."<p>

We walk back to my room quietly. For some reason my rage seems to be building again though I have no idea why. My paranoia rises too and I keep glancing around to see if anyone is following us. Max eyes me warily but thankfully he doesn't ask questions. We walk back to my room and the closer we approach the door, the more I feel a sense of dread passing over me. I try to shove the thoughts out, I have no idea why I need to feel that way.  
>The hallway to my dorm is quiet save for a few raised voices in some rooms indicating little parties taking place. When I reach my door, my dread rises again, as does my paranoia. I feel like someone is watching me.<p>

"Hey Ve, um, I think someone may have tried to break into your room." He says quietly, eyeing off the door that appears slightly ajar.  
>What? Why would someone break into my room? My panic rises. The book. I try to ignore the feeling that someone is watching me.<br>"Who knows someone was probably drunk and ran into my door and broke it open." I say loudly in case anyone actually is watching me, but after that I lean into Max.  
>"Don't, say a thing. Just nod in agreement with me and follow me into my room" his eyebrows crease and he gives an obvious nod and we walk into my room as I shut the door behind us immediately.<br>"Hey, what's going on?" Max asks I shake my head and quickly run over to my bed, pulling out my bag. I rummage through it and it's empty.  
>"No, no, no, no, this is not happening." More dread and panic rises. "God dammit" All I can think is Danahi must have taken it.<p>

"What's happening? What's going on Vienna?" I don't have time to get Max up to speed on everything that has happened in the last few weeks but I quickly relay the most important details, namely my visions and the book. I give Max a run down without names and places as the less he knows, the safer he is. I can't tell him about Danahi either, not yet anyway.

I sit back on my bed with my head in my hands. This isn't happening right now. When I sit, I hear a slight crumpling under me. I get up and search through my blankets but I can't find anything though I can still hear the little rumple every time I move something. I then decide to pick up my mattress and feel around the top of my bed frame. I push my mattress up further and Max comes over to help me. While he is holding it I retrieve a piece of paper from under it. When I open it, all I can see are rough scribbles, I can hardly understand it but the more I look the clearer it becomes.

"_Vienna, I tried my best to hide you, but it obviously wasn't enough. The guardians found me. I don't know how but they did and it's only a matter of time before they find you. I don't know where you hid the book but I hope to god you put it somewhere where no one will find it, if they do, well, we are all in trouble. I don't have much time left but you need to run. You need to leave and hide. Eventually you'll probably find others like you but for now you need to take care of yourself. They will find you. When you find this you need to burn it, I'm probably no longer alive. They will find me and kill me, I'm sorry I couldn't be any more of use to you, I wish I had of taught you when I had the chance but I'm sure you will find a way to learn our families magic by yourself, you're a clever girl. Be careful and trust no one.  
>~D"<em>

Danahi didn't take the book, he didn't find it. The guardians found him and Danahi isn't here anymore, he can't help me. I can only seem to come up with one answer as to who took the book. The Guardians. They know about me.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22.**

My world spins and freezes for a moment. They know about me. They know who I am.  
>More panic rises but all I can hear is mumbling around me. I feel arms close around my shoulders and shake.<br>"Vienna, hey, Vienna, what's going on? What's happened?" it's Max shaking me. I register the world again.  
>"Um, Danahi, uh, Dan…he's dead, they took him." I stutter out.<br>"Who? Who's Danahi?" Max asks. I need to get out of here. I have to run….and I'm taking Max with me.  
>"We have to go. We have to leave." I abruptly stand and head to my wardrobe. I know Max is standing there watching me but I don't care. I shuffle out of my dress and quickly put on my jeans and a black top. I shove my boots on and then I turn back to Max.<br>"Vienna what's going on?"

Someone might have been watching me when we came in, they could still be there.  
>"Ok, we have to leave or they will kill me. When we leave we have to pretend we are going to a party ok? You can't say anything else." Max looks at me incredulously.<br>"Vienna wait! You have to tell me what's going on first. Why would they kill you?" he asks desperately.  
>"Because I'm one of them." I whisper to him. He still gives me a confused look but I don't have time to explain any further. My anger is rising since reading Danahis note and it's now reaching a dangerous level. If someone confronts me, I will find a way to kill them.<p>

Max follows me out the door and I take hold of his hand, I try to look around the hallway as inconspicuously as I can but I don't see anyone. They would make sure I couldn't see them. We are walking down the hallway, almost reaching the door, its then I hear footsteps.  
>They may be Guardians but they can't be all that quiet all the time. I take a few more steps but a Guardian intercepts me and steps in our path to the door.<br>Everything happens in slow motion. The Guardian leaps towards me, Max is being pushed away, guns are out and more Guardians surround us, but it's in a single moment that I hear whispers.  
>"<em>Altius flamma" <em>I hear and in a moment of panic I repeat them. A small explosion comes from the side of the hallway and the Guardians fall back in shock. I quickly side step them and start running with Max.

As quick as they jumped us, the Guardians are up and coming at us again.  
>"Hey Max, care to help out and do some magic please?" I say with gritted teeth.<br>I look to Max who is white as a ghost but he nods. Without looking back he shoves his hand behind him and sends a blast of air at the Guardians who are knocked down. We head into another dorm hallway, we duck and weave in and out of rooms to try and loose them. I'm hoping Max's air magic was enough to slow them down.

We stop inside one of the abandoned lounge rooms and quickly hide in one of the supply closets. I try to calm my breathing as I wait for us to be found. Soon after I hear people running in, checking the rooms.  
>Every now and then we hear someone yell "clear!" then move on.<br>My body tenses in anticipation as I wait for them to approach the room we are in. I glance behind me and see boxes stacked in one corner, with quick thinking I quietly shove the boxes forward a little and beckon Max to hide behind them with me.  
>Our ragged breaths are the only thing I can hear. It isn't long before we hear footsteps approach the same room we are hiding in. I immediately hold my breath, and Max does the same. By the sounds of the footsteps, there are at least two Guardians. A few moments later, the closet door opens and a flashlight lights up the room. I try to sink further into the corner as quietly as I can, Max follows my lead and does the same.<p>

We duck our heads down and hope for the best. A few heartbeats later, the Guardian retreats and shuts the door. I hear the usual "clear" and they leave. I let out a deep breath and fall against the wall, putting my head in my hands. How can this be happening? Not long ago I was a non-royal girl who no one noticed or cared about. Now I'm a royal witch who is being hunted because of my last name.

"Vienna, please tell me what's going on. What did you mean when you said you were one of them?" Max asks me slowly. Well I guess with the situation where in, there is no use lying.  
>"My last name and birth right is Nesahla. Do you remember when I was telling you about the visions, the book and how I told you it all stopped? Well it didn't. The guy you met, he is, well….was, one too. He's been helping me, apparently the Nesahlas are an ancient family line but we aren't supposed to exist any longer. The Moroi council has a secret group of Guardians that hunts people like us down."<p>

The words rush out and its only when I see Max's face do I realise how ridiculous that all sounds.  
>"Yeah yeah I know, it all sounds stupid and whatever but I don't have time to explain everything right now, we need to get out of the school" Max is still stunned but he nods to me and we cautiously move out from behind the boxes.<p>

When I open the closet door I take my time coming out, looking in every direction just to make sure there no Guardians lurking around in here.  
>"Wait Ve, how exactly are we going to get out of the school?"<br>"Um, well. I have no idea. I guess we can figure that out when we get to the gate."  
>I don't give him any time to answer because I'm already leaving the lounge. I stop at the door to check the hallway but I can't hear or see anything. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. I nod to Max and he follows me out into the open. We slink through halls and rooms until we reach the main doors and then take off at a run. I relax slightly when we reach the gate, we haven't been followed by any Guardians, none that Im aware of anyway.<p>

I'm surprised when we reach the gates to find two black SUVs lined up with their doors open. A single Guardian patrol the cars but no one else seems to be around.  
>I creep around one of the corners surveying the scene before me. God, Guardian training would have been helpful right now, I could have tried to knock some of these guys out, though I probably would have found myself hitting the pavement first.<br>After a few more moments I come up with what I hope to be a solid plan. But I don't know how well it will work. I turn back to Max.  
>"How good are you at compelling people?" I ask him seriously. He starts to smile and then he giggles. When he sees my face his smile drops and swallows deeply.<br>"Um, I have no idea, I've never compelled someone, and we never learnt it! And it's forbidden!"

"And I really don't give a shit if anything is forbidden right now, I'd rather stay alive, how about you?" I ask him, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I'm trying to channel my anger towards the Guardians but I can't keep myself from snapping at Max.  
>"You can do it Max, if you don't, I will die and you will too for helping me." His face goes white, his jaw tenses but he nods and then stands up.<br>He heads over to one of the cars but the Guardian stops him in his tracks.  
>"Hey, stop, what do you think you're doing?"<br>I see Max tense slightly, he takes a deep breath and then starts talking.  
>"You're going to let me and my friend hide in one of your cars," he says calmly, at first the Guardian doesn't budge but Max repeats the sentence twice again forcing his will a bit more and I see the guardian falter a little.<p>

"You're going to hide us in one of your cars and not tell anyone." He says even more forcefully and this time the Guardian's expression is just blank.  
>"You won't remember us when you reach your destination, and you won't ask questions." The Guardian nods and turns around, heading towards the first car.<br>Oh my god. I can't believe it worked. Max actually compelled someone. He straightens up and returns to my hiding place to get me, completely surprised by his accomplishment.  
>"Please don't ever make me do that again." he says pleadingly.<p>

"Well if we get out of this alive, I won't have to." I tell him. I have a plan for Max.  
>We follow the Guardian whose name is Stephen, to the car and he opens the door at the back and beckons us forward. In a monotone voice he tells us to stay hidden behind the seats and then returns to his post once we are safely in the car. I can't believe we are going to make it out of the school. A few moments later I hear footsteps running towards us.<br>All I can think is Oh no, we are going to be caught any second now.  
>I hold my breath as I hear people running up. The Guardian Max compelled seemed to have his voice back.<p>

"Where is Mr Dashkov?" he asks. Mr Dashkov? Someone mumbles something but I can't hear because he is further away. "And the Princess?" he asks again. The Princess? Did I miss something? What's going on? Max looks at me, questions swimming in his eyes but I just shrug, I'm as lost as he is.

A few more moments pass and I hear more footsteps approaching us. I grow nervous thinking that the Guardians know we are here. Im sure that they are just moments away from opening the doors and dragging us out, but nothing happens.  
>We sit quietly, tucked in the back of the car as we feel people pile in. The car jolts and I hear the engine start. My muscles tense in anticipation, can we really make it off the school grounds? The second car starts behind us and then we begin to move.<br>What feels like hours pass but its only seconds then the car picks up speed and I know we are out the gates. We take a turn and we slide around the back of the car. We continue to pick up speed as we drive down the highway and I can't help but feel some satisfaction that we are off school grounds and I'm alive.

The more I think about it though, the more my fury darkens, completely submerging me in anger. My vision tinges red but this time it doesn't go away. Those people tried to kill me. They killed my friend, my family because of our lasts names. They took my book, my family's book! Now they can look through that book freely, have all the information they want. They can find out everything. I bite on my lip, hoping to calm myself down but it doesn't work and I can taste blood in my mouth from biting too hard.

We travel a fair distance until we eventually make a number of turns, all in quick succession and the car slows to a halt. I hear the doors open and feel people getting out of the car.  
>When I hear the doors slam shut and inside the vehicle remains silent, I feel it's safe enough to peek up from behind the seats. It's empty. I turn to open the door and get out as quietly as I can, pulling Max with me, my nails digging into his arm.<br>"Vienna, where are we going? What are we going to do out here?"  
>"We have to find some where to stay." I tell him, marching in the opposite direction to driveway in which we entered.<br>A small cabin resides beside us but we can't stay here, whoever occupied the car maybe inside and we can't stay anyway near here. We head into the forest directly in front of us and just keep walking.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23.**

We walked along through a forest, for what seems like hours. Our skin is scratched in every bare place from twigs, dirt and bugs creep up our legs and I can start to see the sun rising in the distance so I know we need to find somewhere to hide soon.  
>At least I've had plenty of time to mull over everything that has happened.<p>

I can't believe that Danahi is dead, the guardians found me and Max and we are lost in the woods with no idea where we are or were we are going. At least I'm here with Max by my side. I have a plan for him too. He won't like it but I have no choice. He will be my ticket back to what I need. My book.

We are both breathing heavily and throughout our little adventure I've had time to explain the full story to Max but he hasn't spoken since, I guess he is still dumbfounded by what has happened. Finding out your best friend/girlfriend is some witch with an ancient family name and is trying to be murdered will do that to someone.  
>Even though nothing has really happened in the last few hours that will significantly fuel my temper, it still rises with every step I take. I feel it slowly consuming me, like I'm on the brink of not being able to go back and that I won't ever find something to smile or be happy about again.<br>But the more I think about it, the more I don't care. This is what it means to be a Nesahla. I think of my family, my mother and father, what will they be told? Will they hunt them down too?

My thoughts and my fury mingle and soon it just all blurs into one little pot of rage.  
>Though it's not long before I'm distracted from that too, we are on a track approaching a mansion.<br>Its huge, all made of brick and sandstone. It's two stories with two giant pillars that stand between the road and the front door. A driveway curls around us, fading to nowhere.  
>Vines with purplish flowers snake up the pillars and the grass around us appears overgrown. It's almost hard to see your feet. The grass stands at least 3 meters tall clearly indicating that this place must be abandoned, I don't think anyone has been here for years.<p>

Max and I continue slowly toward the house. When we reach the front door, I can see that the weathered wood door is now so decayed that it sits ajar and the handle is strewn on the floor. It doesn't require much strength to push against it lightly as the door opens further, revealing a dark, dirt riddled house. Grey tiles line the floor, the roof is sits high above us and a spiral staircase resides in front of us, right next to it is what I think is the kitchen though there is only a few benches. It's all empty but it would have been beautiful in its time.

We tread through the house carefully, surveying every room. I'd say this house was left about 50 years ago, but it must have belonged to a rich family because it is an extravagant house with little touches of the past here and there. Max and I rummage through the cupboards, looking for any sort of food but find no signs of anything edible; luckily we can survive without food. Blood on the other hand, is another problem we may have to sort out, probably sooner rather than later.

"So what are we going to do now?" Max asks as we lay down in one of the carpeted lounge rooms.  
>"I don't know." I tell him, though it's not the truth, if I told him what I'm really going to do, he would freak out. I leave Max in the lounge and continue to scout through the house again, looking for another spare room.<p>

I need a quiet, small room. Just one that is clean, without too much clutter, which I can use for my next part of my plan.  
>I find one that is up the top of the stairs, adjacent to large bedroom. The floorboards creak when I step on them but other than that it's good for use. Only a single window, which no one can see in, and nothing else. Perfect. I head back down to Max, maybe I should tell him now.<p>

"I need your help." I tell him. I'm leaning on the banister on the stairs.  
>"Yeah of course, what do you need?" he won't want to help when I tell him.<br>"Well I have a plan, but you're not going to like it." He gives me a weird look.  
>"How bad can it be, what do you want me to turn Strigoi so I can get your book back?" He laughs at his joke.<br>"Actually that's exactly what I want you to do." He stills and goes pale when I tell him.  
>"Your, your joking right?" I shake my head.<br>"No, no I can't do that" his voice shakes.  
>"You can, I need you too. If your one of them, you can protect me, I don't have anyone else and they have probably killed my parents too so I need all the help I can get. Without their strength, we won't win." I can see him processing his words. A few moments later he starts pacing. Is he actually considering this? I thought it would be harder to convince him. It feels like years before he replies.<p>

"Isn't there another way to do this? I mean one that doesn't involve me killing someone? There isn't another person I can purposely feed on anyway so it wouldn't work" he says and he chews on his nails. Is that really all he is concerned about?  
>"No, you don't need another person."<br>"Ha, Yeah I do Ve, that's how it works. It isn't gunna happen by magi…" he looks at me again and I nod. "So I'm guessing you have some sort of weird witchy magic thing you can do then?" he says. He is still pacing and it's really starting to annoy me.  
>"Yes I can, and I will. I don't care if you say no, I will do this. I would rather it be with your permission rather than holding you down." I say to him, meeting his gaze levelly. He goes back to pacing and after a while I sit on the stairs, waiting for him to answer. He closes his eyes and rubs his temples, as if to try and wake from this nightmare.<p>

"How do you know I wouldn't try to, you know, eat you or something?"  
>"Because I will control you. I made you, I control you. It makes it better for me because by creating you, I'm linked to strigoi blood which means I control any others I find too."<br>This part is sort of sketchy, in my flicking through pages of the book and finding the pages that talk about Strigoi, it showed the connection between the Strigoi and the creator.  
>It also tells a theory on controlling more Strigoi, it's a big risk but I have to try. Max goes back to pacing. God I wish he would hurry up and decide or I really will tie him down and turn him anyway.<br>"Fine. I'll do it. But only for you." He finally agrees, though I see a hint of fear and sadness flit through his eyes. I nod and then I head up to the room I found earlier.  
>I purposefully picked that one because its darker, even with my anger I'm not all that heartless, if this spell works, darkness is what Max will need.<p>

Max follows me all the way up, I can hear his ragged breath and I can smell him sweating from nervousness. He sees the bowl I found earlier and a knife set up in the middle of the room. He falters but continues into the room. The spell didn't really say I needed much else so my concentration will be on the words. I kneel down in front of the bowl and knife, and then I beckon Max to sit opposite me. I lean back on my heels and try to concentrate on the task at hand. Max has gone completely white and his hands are shaking. His eyes flicker all over the room, never settling in one place.

I try to channel as much energy as I can, trying to think of how Danahi completed his spells, and how I have seen them it in my visions. I can do this. I'm a Nesahla; it's in my blood.

I feel a surge of energy rush through me and it makes me shiver, its working. I start reciting the words that have been burned into my mind since I found those pages on Strigoi.

"_Et in saeculum saeculi, et non, et in saeculum saeculi, et non, et in saeculum saeculi, et non" _

I don't say them aloud, but rather whisper them to myself. I'm sure with vampire hearing Max can hear too but I don't pay attention to him. The next part is tricky.  
>I have to obtain Max's blood and chant again but this time it's in English.<br>I keep concentrating on my first words, making sure they sink in. The feeling of something rushing through me doesn't subside but continues to increase slightly more each time I repeat the sentence. Involuntarily I start rocking back and forth on my heels, I can't stop it. My eyes are closed so I don't know what Max is doing. All at once I feel everything shift.  
>Not in a literal sense but in something much deeper. Something shifts in me, and it feels like a bonfire has just exploded. I can do this. I have the magic. I can feel my entire family's blood flow through me. I can hear every whisper they spoke, every spell they thought off.<br>I can feel my family's history.

Without cue, I feel the need to reach forward. I grab hold on Maxs right arm and I hold the knife a few centimetres above it. My eyes are open now and I look to Max, he has a different expression this time. He looks determined, committed.  
>He looks like he can do this and he will, for me. I nod to him and then before I can have a second thought, I slash at his wrist and deep red blood pours out.<br>I push the bowl forward and start reciting the next chant.

"Gracious Goddess who walks through the mists of time, my need of you is endless but tonight I ask only for power. Fill this being with your strength and be with him this night that he may be empowered by your gifts of life. Hold true this spell I work. Blessed be."

I whisper harshly as more of Max's blood pours out of him. I feel the life slowly fading from him and I feel a slight satisfaction that I can do this. That no one else can.  
>The mortal life fades from his eyes and his blood slows to a drip and eventually stops.<p>

Max falls, no longer having blood to pump through his body. I hold the bowl in my hands, cradling it against my chest and repeat my words again. I feel more energy pouring into the bowl, into Max's blood. It surrounds each and every blood cell, turning it to something that cannot be destroyed but with the four life forces of air, water, earth and fire.

Once I feel it has been long enough, I pour Max's blood back to him, tilting his head so that his blood slips down his throat. Slowly, Max's complexion alters, as impossible as it is; his skin goes paler, looking like a bad makeup job. I can feel coldness expelling from him and sinking into my skin. Nothing is left to do but wait. It didn't take long in my vision but I've never done this sort of magic before so I don't know how well it will work.

I wait a few more moments and just as I'm about to touch Max his eyes jerk open. More coldness seeps through me, but I don't feel any sort of fear, all I feel is a deep satisfaction, a deep sense of accomplishment. His eyes are bright red though they still contain some sort of humanity that I expect will fade away over time as he embraces who he is.  
>Max sits up and surveys his surrounding, taking it all in with a different look on life. His eyes rest on me and he starts to move, I know he is hungry. I know he will go for me because I've seen it happen in one of my visions, but before he can move forward, I motion my hand and Max's steps falter. I gasp, it really works. I control him.<br>He looks to his feet and I move my hand again. His head whips up and his eyes find mine.  
>A small smile creeps onto my face. It worked.<br>"Well done Vienna, it worked. Now what are you going to do with me?" Max asks.  
>His voice is different as well. It no longer contains the little wobble it did and it's not as squeaky, he says his words evenly, clearly showing the new lack of emotion he now has.<br>"Now you belong to me." I tell him. His mouth twitches and changes into a sadistic smile.

"But first, I'm hungry and so are you. You're going to go out and bring me back a human, you can kill your own but bring me back one you haven't touched. I have no desire to share a feeder with a strigoi. You have 30 minutes and if I feel that you're not doing your job, I will summon you back here and you will starve." He smiles again and then turns to leave but with a movement of my finger he stops in his tracks. "Hurry back, we have places to be."  
>"And where exactly are we going?" he asks with a slight tinge of curiosity.<br>"Spokane. I have a feeling we will meet more of you there."

_**To be continued…**_


End file.
